Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
M

McGinniss v. Employers Reinsurance Corporation

648 F. Supp. 1263 (1986)

From our private database of 46,400+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

McGinniss v. Employers Reinsurance Corporation

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
648 F. Supp. 1263 (1986)

SH

Facts

Joe McGinniss (plaintiff) was the author of Fatal Vision, which related the story of the murder of Jeff MacDonald’s family and his subsequent conviction of the crimes. Following the book’s release, MacDonald brought suit against McGinniss, claiming damages for fraud, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. McGinniss requested indemnification for fees and costs incurred in defending the action from Employers Reinsurance Corporation (defendant) pursuant to an insurance policy (the policy) issued to McGinniss’s publisher and applicable to him. The policy provided coverage for “injury sustained . . . arising out of (a) libel or slander or other defamatory or disparaging material; (b) invasion or infringement of the right to privacy . . . .” Employers denied McGinniss’s request for indemnification, claiming that the policy covered only named causes of action, none of which had been asserted against McGinniss. McGinniss then initiated a suit seeking a declaration that Employers was obligated to indemnify him for all fees and costs incurred in defense of the MacDonald action.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Sweet, 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 830,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  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.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 830,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 994 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 830,000 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
  • 46,400 briefs - keyed to 994 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

Casebooks

Entertainment Law

Key Terms