Rodriguez v. Fox News Network, LLC
Arizona Court of Appeals
238 Ariz. 36, 356 P.3d 322 (2015)
- Written by Kyli Cotten, JD
Facts
JoDon Romero stole a car at gunpoint and led police on a high-speed chase. Eventually, JoDon exited his vehicle and shot himself in the head with a handgun. Fox News Networks, LLC (Fox) (defendant) broadcasted the chase live and failed to use a short video delay, as is normal practice. Consequently, Fox aired JoDon’s suicide live, and the video made its way around the internet. JoDon’s minor children saw the video and were allegedly traumatized upon realizing it showed their father’s death. The boys’ mother, Angela Rodriguez (plaintiff) sued Fox on behalf of her sons for negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Fox moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the First Amendment protected it from liability. The trial court dismissed the case, and Rodriguez appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Johnsen, J.)
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