Nichols v. Hendrix

Jan 01, 1999

OUTCOME: Granted motion to dismiss

Plaintiff alleged that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated when the media defendants accompanied law enforcement officers during their raid of plaintiff's home. The trial court dismissed plainti ... ff's claim.

Jersawitz v. Creative Loafing

Jan 01, 1998

OUTCOME: Granting summary judgment for libel and invasion of privacy claims

Willis v. United Family Life

Aug 01, 1997

OUTCOME: Affirmed 12(b)(6) dismissal

Letters from insurance company to policy holders directing holders to cease making payments to a third party at a local funeral home were incapable of a defamatory meaning becaue "the office of an innu ... endo is to explain that which is doubtful or ambiguous...it cannot enlarge the meaning of words plainly expressed."

Disaster Services, Inc. v. ERC Partnership

Jan 01, 1997

OUTCOME: Affirmed summary judgment in tortious interference case

228 Ga. App. 739

Ford v. Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Co.

Jan 01, 1996

OUTCOME: Reversal of a 43 million dollars verdict

Barber v. Gillett Communications of Atlanta, Inc.

Jan 01, 1996

OUTCOME: Affirmed jury verdict

223 Ga. App. 827

W.R. Grace & Company-Conn. v. Taco Tico Acquisition Corp.

Jan 01, 1995

OUTCOME: Reversed jury verdict

216 Ga. App. 423 (1995)

Kirkendoll V. City of Smyrna et al.

N/A

OUTCOME: Obtained $85,000 settlement for client (2012)

Obtained $85,000 settlement in a First and Fourth Amendment lawsuit for woman who was arrested for saying an expletive at a Town Council meeting.

Bunch v. Maytag Corporation

N/A

OUTCOME: Summary judgement affirmed

Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment in a product liability case because failure to establish genuine issue of fact on causation as a matter of law.

Collins v. Creative Loafing

N/A

OUTCOME: summary judgment affirmed

Summary judgment granted and affirmed on appeal in a libel, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress case brought by a telemarketer on the basis of a caricature on the front ... page promoting the article about telemarketers that she claimed was intended to represent her and that the article was defamatory towards her. Plaintiff former newspaper employee sued defendant newspaper for libel, invasion of privacy (false light and appropriation), and intentional infliction of emotional distress, after the newspaper allegedly used her likeness to create a cartoon caricature published in conjunction with a cover story on telemarketing practices. The State Court of Fulton County, Georgia, granted summary judgment and the employee appealed. The employee sold advertisement space for the newspaper by telephone. The newspaper ran a cover story about telemarketing scams but never mentioned telephone sales performed for the newspaper. After the employee refused to give the newspaper a photograph of herself for use on the cover, a cartoon illustration allegedly based on the employee's likeness was put on the cover instead. The appellate court held that as (1) the exaggerated cartoon character was not recognizable as the employee; (2) the headline, "Telecon," did not refer to her; and (3) the article did not in any way reflect upon her or her employment, her claims of libel, libel per se, and invasion of privacy were properly dismissed on summary judgment. As a matter of law, the employee's assertions about the cartoon, headline, and article did not rise to the requisite level of outrageousness and egregiousness so as to sustain a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress. OUTCOME: The judgment was affirmed.