Time, Inc. v. Firestone
Citations
- 424 U.S. 448
- 96 S. Ct. 958
- 47 L. Ed. 2d 154
- 1976 U.S. LEXIS 26
- 1 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1665
About this case
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1976 United States Supreme Court case
Time, Inc. v. Firestone, 424 U.S. 448 (1976), was a U.S. Supreme Court case concerning defamation suits against public figures.
Background
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Mary Alice Firestone was married to Russell A. Firestone, Jr. , an heir to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company family fortune. Mary filed for divorce, and Russell submitted a counterclaim on the grounds of extreme cruelty and adultery. The judge granted the divorce but discounted much of the evidence concerning extramarital affairs. Nevertheless, Time, Inc., publisher of the weekly news magazine _Time _, ran an article one week after the divorce was granted, mentioning the alleged affairs. In the "Milestones" section of Time, the news of the Firestones’ divorce was published as follows: "DIVORCED. By Russell A. Firestone Jr., 41, heir to the tire fortune: Mary Alice Sullivan Firestone, 32, his third wife; a onetime Palm Beach schoolteacher; on grounds of extreme cruelty and adultery; after six years of marriage, one son; in West Palm Beach, Fla. The 17-month intermittent trial produced enough testimony of extramarital adventures on both sides, said the judge, 'to make Dr. Freud's hair curl.'”[1]
Following the publication, Mary Firestone filed suit in a Florida state court against Time, Inc., seeking $100,000 in damages for libel.
Court cases
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Time alleged that Mary was a public figure and could not recover damages based on the ruling of _New York Times Co. v. Sullivan _ (1964), which protected media from liability in such suits except in cases where there is knowledge of falsity or a reckless disregard for truth.[2] Both the state court and Florida Supreme Court ruled that Mary was not a public figure, using language defined in _Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. _ (1974).[3]
Decision
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In a 5–3 vote, Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the majority opinion vacating the lower judgment and remanding. The Supreme Court held that the actual malice standard for media reports on public figures did not apply. Firestone was not a public figure as defined by prior precedent. The Court also held the Florida judgment invalid because the court awarded damages without determining fault. Justice Lewis Powell wrote a concurrence, stating that the ultimate question is whether Time exercised reasonably prudent care in light of the ambiguous divorce decree. Justice Potter Stewart joined in the concurrence.
See also
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List of United States Supreme Court cases by the Burger Court
List of United States Supreme Court cases involving the First Amendment
References
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- ↑ "Milestones: Dec. 22, 1967" . Time. December 22, 1967. ISSN 0040-781X . Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ↑ _New York Times Co. v. Sullivan _, 376 U.S. 254 (1964).
- ↑ _Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. _, 418 U.S. 323 (1974).
External links
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- Text of Time, Inc. v. Firestone, 424 U.S. 448 (1976) is available from: Internet Archive (docket files) Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
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How courts have described this case
Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.
- holding that conducting press conferences to respond to reporter questions about highly publicized divorce did not convert plaintiff into public figure
- holding that evidence of injury is required to support award of compensatory damages in defamation case
- holding that a prominent socialite involved in a heavily publicized divorce action was not a public figure since such publicity had been involuntarily obtained as a byproduct of the divorce proceedings
- holding ex-wife of heir to tire manufacturing fortune not public figure, even though her divorce was publicized
- holding an individual to not be a public figure, in part, because she had done nothing voluntary to assume special prominence
- holding actual-malice standard not applicable because a wealthy Palm Beach socialite's involvement in a much-publicized divorce did not make her a public figure
Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).
Judges: BlackmuN, Brennan, Burger, Marshall, Powell, Rehnqtjist, Rehnquist, Stewart, White
Read full opinion on CourtListenerCited by
465 cases in this archive cite this case; the 20 most cited are listed.
- Hernandez v. New YorkSupreme Court· 1991-05-28· cited 4,168×
- Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. VirginiaSupreme Court· 1980-07-02· cited 1,951×
- Nebraska Press Assn. v. StuartSupreme Court· 1976-06-30· cited 1,758×
- Citizens United v. Federal Election CommissionSupreme Court· 2010-01-21· cited 1,732×
- First Nat. Bank of Boston v. BellottiSupreme Court· 1978-06-26· cited 1,551×
- Herbert v. LandoSupreme Court· 1979-04-18· cited 1,085×
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. HeppsSupreme Court· 1986-04-21· cited 858×
- Hutchinson v. ProxmireSupreme Court· 1979-06-26· cited 738×
- Bentley v. BuntonTexas Supreme Court· 2002-08-29· cited 543×
- John Madara v. Daryl HallEleventh Circuit· 1990-11-07· cited 464×
- Andrea Dworkin Priscilla Moree Judith Fouts v. Hustler Magazine Inc.Ninth Circuit· 1989-01-24· cited 449×
- Wolston v. Reader's Digest Assn., Inc.Supreme Court· 1979-06-26· cited 442×
- Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.Supreme Court· 1977-06-28· cited 426×
- Don Chuy, in No. 77-1412 v. The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club (Sued as \The Philadelphia Eagles\), in No. 77-1411 and the National Football LeagueThird Circuit· 1979-03-09· cited 426×
- Bertell Ollman v. Rowland Evans, Robert NovakD.C. Circuit· 1984-12-06· cited 402×
- Bartnicki v. VopperSupreme Court· 2001-05-21· cited 378×
- Brown v. Kelly Broadcasting Co.California Supreme Court· 1989-04-27· cited 341×
- Lino Celle and Radio Mindanao Network Usa, Inc. v. Filipino Reporter Enterprises Inc. And Libertito PelayoSecond Circuit· 2000-04-12· cited 323×
- Eric Waldbaum v. Fairchild Publications, IncD.C. Circuit· 1980-10-14· cited 290×
- James v. Gannett Co.New York Court of Appeals· 1976-07-13· cited 281×
Cites
30 cases in this archive are cited by this case; the 20 most cited are listed.
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanSupreme Court· 1964-03-09· cited 8,531×
- Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.Supreme Court· 1974-06-25· cited 4,525×
- Roth v. United StatesSupreme Court· 1957-06-24· cited 3,255×
- Boddie v. ConnecticutSupreme Court· 1971-03-02· cited 3,052×
- Chaplinsky v. New HampshireSupreme Court· 1942-03-09· cited 2,706×
- Sheppard v. MaxwellSupreme Court· 1966-06-06· cited 2,653×
- St. Amant v. ThompsonSupreme Court· 1968-06-10· cited 2,076×
- Curtis Publishing Co. v. ButtsSupreme Court· 1967-10-09· cited 1,899×
- Garrison v. LouisianaSupreme Court· 1964-11-23· cited 1,859×
- Near v. Minnesota Ex Rel. OlsonSupreme Court· 1931-06-01· cited 1,633×
- Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. CohnSupreme Court· 1975-03-03· cited 1,289×
- Rosenblatt v. BaerSupreme Court· 1966-02-21· cited 1,111×
- Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, Inc.Supreme Court· 1971-06-07· cited 896×
- Bridges v. CaliforniaSupreme Court· 1941-12-08· cited 874×
- Craig v. HarneySupreme Court· 1947-10-15· cited 697×
- Williams v. United StatesSupreme Court· 1971-04-05· cited 659×
- Konigsberg v. State Bar of Cal.Supreme Court· 1961-04-24· cited 535×
- Pennekamp v. FloridaSupreme Court· 1946-06-03· cited 529×
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. RoySupreme Court· 1971-02-24· cited 520×
- Beauharnais v. IllinoisSupreme Court· 1952-06-09· cited 480×
Other cases named Time, Inc. v. Firestone
7 other CourtListener records share this case name.
- Time, Inc. v. FirestoneSupreme Court· 1970-06-01· cited 53×
- Time, Inc. v. FirestoneW.D. Pennsylvania· 1975-04-14· cited 32×
- Time, Inc. v. FirestoneSupreme Court· 1970-06-01· cited 12×
- Time, Inc. v. FirestoneDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida· 1971-10-28· cited 11×
- Time, Inc. v. FirestoneDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida· 1973-06-20· cited 3×
- Time, Inc. v. FirestoneSupreme Court of Florida· 1970-04-15· cited 1×
- Time, Inc. v. FirestoneDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida· 1973-06-20· cited 1×
Sourced from CourtListener / Free Law Project (CC0).
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.