Brewer v. Rogers
Georgia Court of Appeals
439 S.E.2d 77 (1993)
- Written by Daniel Clark, JD
Facts
Brewer (plaintiff) was the football coach at a high school in Athens, Georgia. Rogers (defendant) was the Georgia state superintendent of schools. A local television journalist, Shuler, issued a newscast about allegations concerning grade changes for a player on Brewer’s team. For the newscast, Shuler interviewed Rogers and presented Rogers with evidence that, 15 years prior, Brewer had been arrested on charges related to a gambling ring and to drug possession. The evidence Shuler presented to Rogers highlighted Brewer’s pleas of no contest and guilty, respectively, but did not include certain nuances, such that Brewer was a first offender and that Brewer had disclosed information to future school districts concerning his criminal past. Rogers’s responses during the televised interview implied that Brewer’s past indiscretions were new revelations, that an investigation would be initiated, and that Rogers sought to keep a closer grip on individual school systems that failed to report “incidents like this one.” Brewer sued Rogers, Shuler, and the television station for defamation. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Rogers, Shuler, and the television station, holding that Brewer was a public figure who had not met his burden to show that the defendants acted with actual malice. Brewer appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Beasley, J.)
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