The Texas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Dallas Observer in a lawsuit brought by two Denton County public officials, reports the Houston Chronicle. Judge Darlene Whitten and District Attorney Bruce Isaacks sued the paper for libel over a satire published in 1999. The piece, titled "Stop the Madness," was a parody of the actual arrest of a 13-year-old girl for reading a graphic Halloween story to her class. The Supreme Court backed its 8-0 ruling by saying that a reasonable reader of the entire article about a fictional 6-year-old girl's arrest would realize it was not true and was intended as satire.
Minnesota's Secretary of State, Mary Kiffmeyer, sent a letter to City Pages on Monday, warning the paper that its "I Will Vote" promotion might violate federal law prohibiting the payment or acceptance of payment for voting or registering to vote, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. At a City Pages booth at summer events, young voters were encouraged to register to vote and promise to turn out on election day as well as to sign up for a chance to win a free overseas trip. Kiffmeyer says her letter was prompted by David Strom, president of the Taxpayers League in Minnesota and City Pages' "Villain of the Year" for 2004, who issued a news release last week urging her to intervene.
A plaintiff who alleges the Observer wrongfully disclosed his HIV-positive status has sued the Dallas alt-weekly; its parent company, New Times; and other parties, Texas Lawyer reports. In "Fallen Angel," an article published last December, the Observer referenced the man by name. The plaintiff doesn't dispute that he's HIV-positive but contends that the paper didn't have the right to disclose his condition without his consent. By doing so, he claims, the paper violated the Texas Health and Safety Code. Miriam Rozen writes: "Most attorneys have assumed the statute applied to parties in the medical and insurance industries -- not media organizations." Three of the defendants are seeking the outright dismissal of the plaintiff's petition.
Last month, New Times Broward-Palm Beach reporter Sam Eifling visited the office of Steven West. The paper had run a story about the South Florida businessman in August 2002, tracing his career path from department-store raider to convicted felon. This time, the reporter wanted to ask West about a controversial firing of one of West's office workers. Instead of a quote, New Times got a lawsuit. Filed without aid of an attorney, the suit claims the 2002 story "willfully omit[ted] positive information and willfully ignore[d] positive interviews." Eifling writes that West might simply be practicing what his company's Dilbertian policy manual expounds: "Do Not Get Pushed Around."
