Lane v. Random House
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
985 F. Supp. 141 (1995)
- Written by Mary Phelan D'Isa, JD
Facts
Conspiracy theorist Mark Lane (plaintiff) sued Gerald Posner (author) (defendant) and Random House (publisher) (defendant) for defamation arising out of two advertisements promoting the author and publisher’s book commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination. The book, Case Closed, challenged the many conspiracy theories that developed around the assassination. The advertisements included photos of five theorists, including Lane, and quotations attributed to Lane, and charged that Lane and other theorists misled the American public. Random House invoked fair comment and First Amendment defenses and moved for summary judgment.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Lamberth, J.)
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