Appellants John and Mary Ann Tatum sued appellees Steve Blow and The Dallas Morning News (DMN) for libel regarding a column that Blow wrote and DMN published one month after the Tatums' son Paul committed suicide. The Seventh Circuit said in dicta that these statements were probably nonactionable as obvious statements of opinion, but the court held that Haynes's claims failed because he alleged no pecuniary injury from these statements. Id. We agree with the Tatums. The Tatums argue that appellees bear the burden of proof on truth or substantial truth, so the no-evidence ground is invalid. 73.002(b)(2). Turner v. KTRK Television, Inc., 38 S.W.3d 103, 119 (Tex.2000). The summary judgment evidence included a copy of the printed version of the newspaper column that prompted this suit. See Tex. Id. In the interest of judicial economy, we consider all grounds presented to the trial court and preserved on appeal. We recently cited Lipsky and placed the burden of proving falsity on the plaintiff in a libel case involving the Texas Citizens Participation Act, Civ. We next ask whether there was evidence that the column's gist was false. Accordingly we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand the case to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Paul died from a gunshot wound to the head. In short, there must first be a controversy before it can be a public one. WebIn this libel-by-implication case, a column written by Steve Blow and published by The Dallas Morning News (collectively, Petitioners) was reasonably capable of meaning that John and 284, 339 S.W.2d 890, 893 (1960). We conclude that the evidence raised a genuine fact issue as to negligence. The Tatums' live pleading asserted Libel as count 1 and Libel per se as count 2. 16-0098 Decided: May 11, Appellants John and Mary Ann Tatum sued appellees Steve Blow and The Dallas Morning News (DMN) for libel regarding a column that Blow wrote and DMN published one month after the Tatums' son Paul committed suicide. Turner, 38 S.W.3d at 114. The evidence shows that DMN published Paul's obituary, and the Tatums do not allege that the obituary itself did not conform to their order. Family Law WebIN THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS No. Judgment entered this 14th day of Morning News, Inc. v. Tatum Download PDF Check Treatment Summary concluding that the statement y'all are corrupt, y'all are the criminals, y'all are the ones that oughta be in jail is explicitly defamatory Summary of this case from Nat'l Rifle Ass'n of Am. The Tatums sued both appellees for libel and libel per se. Juvenile Law 2695. 2695, 111 L.Ed.2d 1 (1990) ; Phila. By 1879 Alfred H. Belo, who had acquired control of the business, was investigating the possibility of establishing a sister paper in rapidly developing North Texas. We thus conclude that the Tatums pled claims for both libel per quod and libel per se. Appellees' summary judgment motion argued that (i) they proved the column was true or substantially true and (ii) the Tatums had no evidence of any false statement of fact in the column. His testimony demonstrates his training and expertise in the field of accident reconstruction. 1 of Dallas County, Texas, to: Dana Goodwin. WebThe Dallas Morning News, Inc., and Steve BlowAppeal from 68th Judic John Tatum and Mary Ann Tatum v. The Dallas Morning News, Inc., and Steve BlowAppeal from 68th Judicial District Court of Dallas County (memorandum opinion per curiam) Annotate this Case Download PDF WebDallas Morning News, Inc. v. Tatum (Unanimous) Annotate this Case. 12, 2007, pet. We determine substantial truth by assessing the publication's gist. See id. They argue that the column is literally true because all its individual factual statements regarding the Tatums are true. For example, the internal sources that Blow said he contacted before publishing the column denied having discussed the matter with him. But a topic is not a public controversy merely because some people are talking about it: WFAATV, Inc., 978 S.W.2d at 572. In that case, Tracy Johns posted an internet message under the heading GeneralMunchausen Syndrome by Proxy that read, in part, Has anyone ever known anyone with this disease/issue? In re Lipsky, 460 S.W.3d 579, 593 (Tex.2015) (orig.proceeding). A statement does not have to refer to the plaintiff by name, however, if people who know and are acquainted with the plaintiff reasonably understand from reading the statement that it referred to the plaintiff. Main, 348 S.W.3d at 395 ; see also Houseman v. Publicaciones Paso del Norte, S.A., 242 S.W.3d 518, 525 (Tex.App.El Paso 2007, no pet.) When reviewing a no-evidence summary judgment, we determine whether the nonmovant adduced sufficient evidence to raise a genuine issue of fact on the challenged elements. WebThe overwhelming majority of rehearing motions are denied: During the courts last term (September 2017 to August 2018), the court granted seven rehearing motions and denied 244a grant rate of about 2.8%. WebTHE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, INC. AND STEVE BLOW v. JOHN TATUM AND MARY ANN TATUM; from Dallas County; 5th Court of Appeals District (05-14-01017-CV, 493 SW3d Id. THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, INC. AND STEVE BLOW, PETITIONERS, v. JOHN TATUM AND MARY ANN TATUM, RESPONDENTS No. Here, the column did not mention Paul or the Tatums by name. Professional Malpractice & Ethics That night, Paul was involved in a one-car automobile accident. A reasonable juror could conclude that a hypothetically true column would have been less damaging to the Tatums' reputation because it would have mentioned that the Tatums claimed to have written the obituary in a good faith belief in its truth and without an intent to deceive. Courthouse News brings us this lawsuit filed two days ago in Dallas County District Court: John Tatum and Mary Ann Tatum v. The Dallas Morning News, inc. and Steve Blow. WebEnter your email address and we'll send you instructions on how to reset your password. Based on his investigation and experience, Kass concluded that Paul sustained a brain injury in the auto accident and that Paul would not have committed suicide but for the car accident and brain injury. --------. In cases not covered by these mandates, Texas has generally made truth an affirmative defense to defamation. Accordingly, Gacek and Scholz are not on point. The DALLAS MORNING NEWS, INC. and Steve Blow, Petitioners v. John TATUM and Mary Ann Tatum, Respondents No. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. 475 S.W.3d at 481 n. 6, 2015 WL 5156908, at *6 n. 6. Thus, they must prove only negligence to recover compensatory damages. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the columns accusation of deception was reasonably capable of injuring the Tatums standing in the community but that Blows implicit statement that the Tatum acted deceptively was an opinion and thus not actionable. If the plaintiff is a public official or a public figure, the required culpability is elevated from negligence to actual malice; that is, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant published the defamatory statement with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard as to whether it was true or false. But a statement couched as an opinion may be actionable if it expressly or implicitly asserts facts that can be objectively verified. 16-0098 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, INC. AND STEVE BLOW, PETITIONERS v. JOHN TATUM ). Reckless disregard means that the publisher entertained serious doubts about the publication's truth or had a high degree of awareness of the publication's probable falsity. Dallas, TX JACK TATUM OBITUARY TATUM, Jack Bauder Jack Bauder Tatum passed away on August 12, 2020 at the age of 91. In that case, Dr. Neely was disciplined for self-prescribing medications, but a news broadcast about him could reasonably have been understood to report that he was actually disciplined for operating on patients while using dangerous drugs or controlled substances. On Monday, May 17, 2010, the Tatums were out of town at another son's graduation, and Paul was home alone. SUCV201001010, 2013 WL 4081413, at *912 (Mass.Super.Ct. Tax Law peter waltham curtin radio; levi ablett medical condition; danby dehumidifier pump light flashing; marie devereux; 2997, 41 L.Ed.2d 789 (1974) ). DMN asserted the following traditional summary judgment grounds against the Tatums' DTPA claims: DMN also asserted the following no-evidence grounds: In our analysis of this question, we focus on DMN's second no-evidence ground and particularly the first requirement of 17.46(b)(24) that the defendant fail[ed] to disclose information concerning goods or services. Id. See Neely, 418 S.W.3d at 63. The Tatums argue that an accusation of deception is verifiable and therefore actionable, while appellees argue that it is not. The column then implies that the obituary's reference to the cause of Paul's death was false by saying, There was a car crash, all right, but death came from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a time of remorse afterward. Almost immediately after describing Paul's suicide, the column states, I'm troubled that we, as a society, allow suicide to remain cloaked in such secrecy, if not outright deception. A reasonable reader could conclude that the column's gist is that the Tatums, as authors of Paul's obituary, wrote a deceptive obituary to keep Paul's suicide a secret and to protect themselves from being seen as having missed the chance to intervene and prevent the suicide. They also sued DMN for DTPA violations. The Tatums argue that the following evidence raises a genuine fact issue as to the elements of negligence and actual malice: An expert witness testified by affidavit that appellees' failure to contact the Tatums for an explanation of the obituary before publishing the column fell short of journalistic standards promulgated by DMN and by the Society of Professional Journalism. 2695. Appellees argue that the column is a fair comment on a matter of public concern, specifically society's tendency to avoid open discussion of suicide and how that leaves its dangers underestimated. This privilege, however, applies only if the comments are based on substantially true facts. 2695, 111 L.Ed.2d 1 (1990). We perceive no extravagant exaggeration in the column. Id. To the contrary, the column's tone is generally sober, and it purports to be grounded in factual details such as the circumstances of Pillsbury's and Paul's deaths, data about the prevalence of suicide among young people, and Julie Hersh's public efforts to reduce the shame and stigma surrounding mental illness. THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, INC. AND STEVE BLOW, Appellees In accordance with this Court s opinion of this date, this appeal is DISMISSED. Appellees, however, do not contend that the Tatums are public officials or general-purpose public figures. Similarly, the evidence here supports a reasonable inference that some people who read the column knew that it was about the Tatums. 73.005(a) (truth is a defense to a libel action); see also Neely, 418 S.W.3d at 62 (mentioning the defense of truth and citing 73.005); Randall's Food Mkts., Inc. v. Johnson, 891 S.W.2d 640, 646 (Tex.1995) (In suits brought by private individuals, truth is an affirmative defense to slander.) (footnote omitted). Constr., L.P. v. Underwriters at Lloyd's London, 327 S.W.3d 118, 127 (Tex.2010) (citing dictionaries as aids to interpreting an insurance policy). Applying the Milkovich analysis and considering the accusations in context, the court held that the statements were actionable statements of fact. In their second appellate issue, the Tatums contend that the trial court erred by granting summary judgment on their DTPA claims against DMN. 1. The evidence also showed that their friends, recognizing that the column was about the Tatums, contacted them and told them about the column. They also produced evidence from which a reasonable jury could find that (i) Blow misrepresented his investigation and sources of information and (ii) Blow had some motive not to probe into the column's truth regarding the Tatums and the obituary. v. Ackerman McQueen, Inc. See 13 Summaries "Casetext is a game changer! To the extent West is similar to the instant case, we disagree with it. In four issues, appellant contends (1) the trial court erred by granting appellees objections to certain summary judgment evidence; (2) the trial court erred by denying appella On that occasion, he said, he attempted to contact the author of one of the obituaries. Before publishing the column knew that it was about the Tatums dallas morning news v tatum summary that the evidence a! 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