Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
United States Supreme Court
401 U.S. 265 (1971)
- Written by Galina Abdel Aziz , JD
Facts
On September 10, 1960, a newspaper published a column regarding the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s primary election for the United States Senate. The column included a statement that candidate Alphonse Roy (plaintiff) was a “former small-time bootlegger.” Roy lost the election and sued the Monitor Patriot Co. (MPC) and the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA) (defendants), the owner and distributor of the newspaper, for libel. The trial judge instructed the jury to determine whether the column addressed Roy’s private or official conduct. The jury determined that it was private conduct and returned a $20,000 verdict for Roy. MPC and NANA were each ordered to pay $10,000. The New Hampshire Supreme Court affirmed. The United States Supreme court granted certiorari.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Stewart, J.)
Concurrence (White, J.)
Concurrence/Dissent (Black, J.)
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