This story illustrates my analysis on the malice legal doctrine where a person sues as a public figure. What’s interesting is Beckham also sued in Germany and on the same issues against the same magazine and won.
Business week reports:
“A federal judge has dismissed David Beckham’s libel and slander lawsuit against In Touch magazine.
The soccer star’s attorney vows to appeal the ruling and disprove the celebrity tabloid’s claims that Beckham cheated on his wife with a prostitute.
U.S. District Judge Manuel Real threw out the lawsuit at a hearing Monday in Los Angeles.
Beckham’s attorney, Richard Kendall, argued that In Touch failed to do basic checking that would have shown the athlete wasn’t where the magazine claimed he was for the illicit rendezvous.
Real said the Los Angeles Galaxy star is a public figure and his attorneys hadn’t shown the tabloid published the story with malice. . .”
Maybe next time.
Photocredit: Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The FASHIONENTLAW Blog features legal insights, commentary, and analysis on contracts, intellectual property, business disputes, media, fashion, entertainment, and emerging issues shaping the creative industries.
Authored by Uduak Oduok professionally known as Ms. Uduak, a California fashion and entertainment lawyer with over 24 years of legal experience, the blog is designed for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.
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