Masson v. Malcolm et al.: 1993 & 1994

The second trial began on October 3, 1994. Morgan again challenged Malcolm's ethics as a journalist. He also hinted that she may have had a bias against Masson because of his anti-Freudian leanings. Malcolm was a known supporter of traditional psychoanalysis and her father had been a psychiatrist. A few weeks later, in his closing arguments, Morgan charged that Masson had lost a promising career after being "shot down by the cruelest language of a skilled writer."

Despite these arguments, the jury this time exonerated Malcolm, finding that two of the quotes were false and one was defamatory, but none was written with a reckless disregard for the truth. A relieved Malcolm burst into tears. Masson indicated he might not appeal the verdict, although he subsequently did. In 1996, the Ninth Circuit Court upheld the verdict of the lower court.

Although Malcolm ultimately won her case, some journalists questioned her professional practices. After the 1993 trial, an editor at Time magazine said, "I think it is always dangerous when the public is given any reason to doubt what they have been reading." But when Malcolm was asked if she would change her reporting techniques, she replied, "Absolutely not."