United States Tenth Circuit

In a defamation action against author John Grisham based on false statements he allegedly made about plaintiffs in a book, dismissal of the action is affirmed where: 1) any connection between defendants- statements and an accusation of criminal activity was far too tenuous for the court to declare them as unprivileged for purposes of Okla. Stat. 1443.1; and 2) because section 1443.1 applied to plaintiffs' libel claims, plaintiffs were also barred under the statute from asserting a valid claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress or false light.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/01/2010
• Published 02/01/2010

Judges

• LUCERO, Circuit Judge., Before KELLY, McKAY, and LUCERO, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Tenth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Gary L. Richardson (Denise P. James with him on the briefs), The Richardson Law Firm, P.C., Tulsa, OK, for the Plaintiffs-Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Robert D. Nelon, Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C., Oklahoma City, OK, and Cheryl A. Pilate, Morgan Pilate, LLC, Olathe, Kansas (Jon Epstein, Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C., Oklahoma City, OK, with them on the briefs), for the Defendants-Appellees.