Supreme Court of Florida

In an action for invasion of privacy based on the false light theory, reversal of judgment for plaintiff is affirmed where: 1) the court's simultaneous opinion in Jews for Jesus, Inc. v. Rapp, No. SC06-2491 (Oct. 23, 2008), declined to recognize a false-light cause of action in Florida tort law; and 2) the existing judgment for plaintiff could be reversed because, rather than a retroactive abolition of a once-valid cause of action, the Rapp decision was a case of first impression, and the cause of action had in fact never existed.

Appellate Information

• Decided 10/23/2008
• Published 10/23/2008

Judges

• PARIENTE, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of Florida

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Bruce S. Rogow of Bruce S. Rogow, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, FL, Beverly Pohl of Broad and Cassel, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Willie E. Gary, Phyllis Gillespie, and Tricia Purks Hoffler of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson, and Sperando, Stuart, FL, for Petitioner., Gregg D. Thomas, James J. McGuire, James B. Lake, and Rachel E. Fugate of Thomas and Locicero, P.L., Tampa, FL, on behalf of Media General Operations, Inc., The New York Times Company, Orlando Sentinel Communications Company, Sun-Sentinel Company, the Florida Press Association, ABC, Inc., ESPN, Inc., the E.W. Scripps Company, the Association of American Publishers, and Cox Enterprises, Inc. (collectively the Florida Media Organizations);  and Jonathan D. Kaney, Jr., and Jonathan D. Kaney, III of Cobb and Cole, Daytona Beach, FL, and Jon Mills and Timothy McLendon, Gainesville, FL, on behalf of First Amendment Foundation, as Amici Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Robert C. Bernius of Nixon Peabody, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., Dennis K. Larry and Donald H. Partington of Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry, Bond and Stackhouse, Pensacola, FL, for Respondent.