United States Fourth Circuit

In a defamation case centered around U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, summary judgment for defendants is affirmed where radio-host defendant's broadcast statements blaming plaintiff-military government contractor in part for abuses against Iraqi detainees, were protected by the First Amendment as either they were not made with actual malice or they did not state actual facts about plaintiffs.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/05/2008
• Published 08/05/2008

Judges

• Before MICHAEL, GREGORY, and DUNCAN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Joseph William Koegel, Jr., Steptoe & Johnson, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellants.  Laura Rose Handman, Davis, Wright & Tremaine, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellees.   ON BRIEF:  John F. O'Connor, Frank H. Griffin, IV, Steptoe & Johnson, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellants.  David M. Shapiro, Davis, Wright & Tremaine, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellees.  Jack M. Weiss, Joshua Wilkenfeld, Laura M. Leitner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, L.L.P., New York, New York;  Theodore B. Olson, Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Amici Supporting Appellees.