By Daniel A. Horwitz: In a unanimous opinion issued on March 27, 2020, the Tennessee Court of Appeals has affirmed a ruling dismissing, in full, a defamation case filed by convicted felon Michael Benanti against the Knoxville News Sentinel and reporter Jamie Satterfield. Benanti had alleged that the defendants defamed him by falsely reporting that […]
Category: Defamation
Tennessee Supreme Court Restricts Fair Report Privilege, Holds That It Does Not Apply to “Nonpublic, One-On-One Conversations” Between Government Sources and Journalists
By Daniel A. Horwitz: In a significant setback for journalists and Tennessee’s free press, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in Burke v. Sparta Newspapers, Inc., 592 S.W.3d 116, 124 (Tenn. 2019), that the fair report privilege—a critical source of immunity that protects members of the news media from being subjected to frivolous lawsuits that arise out […]
The “Tennessee Public Participation Act,” Tennessee’s First-Ever Meaningful Anti-SLAPP Law, Takes Effect Today
By Daniel A. Horwitz: If you woke up this morning feeling freer to speak your mind, there’s a reason: A little-noticed law with huge free speech benefits takes effect today. As of July 1, 2019, the “Tennessee Public Participation Act”—Tennessee’s first-ever meaningful Anti-SLAPP law—became effective and affords those who are sued for their speech a […]