Haynes v. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

8 F.3d 1222 (1993)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Haynes v. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
8 F.3d 1222 (1993)

Play video

Facts

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (Knopf) (defendant) published a book titled “The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America.” The book chronicles the move of five million African Americans between 1940 and 1970 from impoverished rural areas to what have been called “urban ghettos.” The author writes from a journalistic perspective and focuses primarily on the journey of one particular African American woman named Ruby Lee Daniels. In the book, Daniels is mentioned as marrying Luther Haynes (plaintiff). Haynes is described in an unflattering light as an alcoholic, an adulterer, and a poor worker and husband. Haynes ultimately divorced Daniels and married his current wife, Dorothy Haynes (plaintiff). Luther and Dorothy Haynes brought suit against Knopf and the book’s author, Lemann, for libel and invasion of privacy based on the characterization of Haynes in the book. The trial court granted summary judgment for Knopf, and Haynes appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Posner, C.J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership