April 28, 2024
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Man Wins $18M Verdict Against Newspaper
Art Levy | 1/1/2009
In 2003, a Florida highway contractor won an $18.2-million verdict against the Pensacola News Journal, claiming the newspaper invaded his privacy and damaged his reputation by printing a story that was completely true. Joe Anderson Jr. won his case by claiming the facts in the story, though correct, were arranged in such a way that the story placed him in a “false light.” In October, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the judgment by failing to recognize “false light” as grounds to sue. First Amendment advocates across the state hailed the opinion, which Anderson denounced harshly. The court’s decision, he says, “allows the media to victimize people with impunity.”
