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Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Brief Fact Summary
Defendant, Doubleday, published a series of stories by a soldier who was seriously injured during the course of the Normandy invasion of WWII. Plaintiff, Colonel Kilian, was described in these stories as inflicting cruel punishments upon the troops. The soldier wrote the accounts while hospitalized 12 miles away from the action in England. He based his exaggerated fist person account on the tales of other injured soldiers.
Rule of Law and Holding
“While, in order to support a defense of truth, it is necessary merely to prove that it was substantially true . . . specific charges cannot be justified by showing the plaintiff’s general bad character. . .â€
Topics
Defamation
Trial in Las Vegas, Nevada
Description
A master control operator at Playboy TV who monitored the Playboy Channel for quality control, brought this action for sexual harassment against a co-worker and Playboy. She also brought a claim for disability discrimination.
The jury awarded compensatory damages of $182.5K, as well as punitive damages against her co-worker of $10K.
Practice Area
Employment Law
Industry
Entertainment, Communications
Clip Analysis
The accident reconstruction expert who has already been qualified as an expert is now introducing for the jury the field of accident reconstruction. This exam shows how to bolster the expert’s opinion by laying out the foundation of what he reviewed and did to reach his opinions. Counsel has a habit of saying "alright " or “ok†after each answer which can be distracting to the jury.
Stage of Trial
Direct of an Expert Witness
Trial Advocacy Skill
Foundation For Opinions