United States Sixth Circuit

In libel action by a boxer against a publication, there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of actual malice on the part of the defendant in publishing an article based largely on one source-s statements, where the evidence demonstrated defendant obtained information from at least one independent source that corroborated source-s story, defendant had no particular reason to think source was lying, and employees of the defendant personally reviewed evidence that they concluded supported source-s story.

Appellate Information

• Argued 12/05/2001
• Decided 01/30/2002
• Published 01/30/2002

Judges

• Before:  KENNEDY, MOORE, and COLE, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Sixth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• George Bochetto (argued and briefed), David J. Perlman (briefed), Bochetto & Lentz, Philadelphia, PA, for Plaintiff-Appellee., R. Eddie Wayland, King & Ballow, Nashville, TN, Floyd Abrams (argued and briefed), Cahill, Gordon & Reindel, New York, NY, Douglass B. Maynard, New York, NY, Laura Handman (briefed), Davis, Wright & Tremaine, Washington, DC, for Defendants-Appellants., Sarah R. Shults (argued and briefed), Asst. U.S. Attorney, Greeneville, TN, for Plaintiff-Appellee in No. 00-5180., Paula R. Voss, Federal Defender Services, Knoxville, TN, Nikki C. Pierce (argued and briefed), Federal Defender Services, Greeneville, TN, for Defendant-Appellant in No. 00-5180.