Rosenbloom v. Metromedia

Petitioner

George Rosenbloom

Respondent

Metromedia, Inc.

Petitioner's Claim

A radio station that broadcast defamatory information about a private individual has committed libel, since the news was not about a public figure or public official.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Ramsey Clark

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

Bernard G. Segal

Justices for the Court

Hugo Lafayette Black, Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr. (writing for the Court), Warren E. Burger, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

John Marshall Harlan II, Thurgood Marshall, Potter Stewart (William O. Douglas did not participate)

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

7 June 1971

Decision

Upheld an appeals court ruling that even though a news broadcast contains information about a private citizen it is not libel unless the plaintiff can demonstrate a reckless disregard for the truth or malicious intent.

Related Cases

• New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964).
• Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts., U.S. (1967).
• Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323 (1974).
• Time, Inc. v. Firestone, 424 U.S. 448 (1976).
• Hutchinson v. Proxmire, 443 U.S. 111 (1979).

Further Readings

• Biskupic, Joan and Elder Witt. Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court, 3rd edition. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1997.
• Gunther, Gerald and Kathleen Sullivan. Constitutional Law, 13th edition. New York: The Foundation Press Inc., 1997.
• Hall, Kermit L., ed. The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.