Dresbach v. Doubleday & Co.
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
518 F. Supp. 1285 (1981)
- Written by Katrina Sumner, JD
Facts
In 1986 Lee Dresbach’s (plaintiff) 15-year-old brother, Wayne, killed their parents when Lee was only 14 years old. Lee’s neighbors, Michael Mewshaw and his family, allowed Lee to live with them for three years. Mewshaw and his family visited Wayne in prison and even helped with Wayne’s appeal. After 20 years, Mewshaw wrote a book published by Doubleday & Company (defendant) about the killings, Wayne’s home life, and subsequent events related to Lee. Lee objected to the book’s assertions that Lee was abused by his parents, rarely visited Wayne in prison, did not support Wayne financially, and hid from Wayne after Wayne’s release from prison. Lee brought a cause of action for public disclosure of private facts. Lee argued that even if the facts related to the murders were matters of legitimate public concern 20 years ago, that was no longer the case given the passage of time. Lee also filed a false-light privacy claim regarding the book’s assertions that were not true. Doubleday moved for summary judgment.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Green, J.)
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