Recently in Defamation (Libel / Slander) Category

In a bizarre and downright immature case, a Groupon deal was used, a Yelp review was posted, and a defamation lawsuit was filed. But surprisingly, it wasn't a jilted business suing for an unfairly nasty Yelp review, but instead it was the customer suing the business for defamation.

Cecelia Groark purchased a Groupon deal for a food and wine pairing class at Bottled Grapes in Albany Park, reports CBS. However, the deal required that Groark confirm her reservation by responding to an email. Groark said she never got the email and when she called Bottled Grapes to find out where the wine pairing class was to be held, she discovered that her seats were resold since she never confirmed.

Judge Richard Posner is one of the best known law professors and judges in the country. Along with his fame, comes a bit of notoriety too, as the judge has been known to tongue-lash unprepared lawyers who’ve come before him, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

And Posner certainly didn’t disappoint when Dallas-based attorney David McKeand apparently forgot to cite a case that Posner felt was the most recent, on-point decision dealing with a jurisdiction matter the court was considering.

In Week 1, the Fox NFL pregame show aired a segment where it flashed three fictitious headlines about Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. The headlines seemed so real, it even fooled Fox analyst Daryl Johnston who described the headlines as "actual headlines" on air. This past Sunday, Fox pregame show host Curt Menefee apologized for the Jay Cutler headlines.

But is this apology too late, and does Cutler have legal recourse?

In the NFC Championship game against the Packers last year, Cutler had a pretty bad showing before deciding to take most of the second half off citing a knee injury. Cutler was destroyed by the media and even by fellow players who called into question his heart and courage.

Lifetime's made-for-TV Drew Peterson movie starring Rob Lowe may not happen after all. According to the Chicago Tribune, Peterson has demanded that the movie stop production arguing that it invades his privacy and is a "character assassination" as he stands trial for the murder of his third wife.

Peterson, the former suburban Chicago cop, was accused of killing his third wife Kathleen Savio in 2004, reports Reuters. Savio was found dead in the couple's bathtub. Later on, in 2007, Peterson's fourth wife disappeared, and many suspect he may have played a role in her disappearance.

Chicago Alderman John Rice has recently sued Nicholas Sposato, one of his opponents in the 36th Ward run-off races. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Rice accused Sposato of defamation after he tried to allegedly connect Rice to a news report involving Frank Calabrese Jr., a former mobster who has now become an author.

Rice noted a press conference held by Sposato earlier this month where he claimed Sposato had "maliciously and wrongfully accused" him of **illegal activity. The lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court, said Calabrese had spoken about making inroads with the 36th Ward Regular Democratic Organization in the past.

Two Park Ridge middle school students, a 13- and 14-year-old, were recently charged with harassment and accused of allegedly cyberbullying a 13-year-old female classmate. The Chicago Sun-Times reported the two Emerson Middle School students were charged under a local ordinance last month and are expected to appear before the Park Ridge Peer Jury.

Police officials said the pair had allegedly created a page on Facebook that included derogatory and hateful statements about the 13-year-old victim. The two students then sent requests to "friend" the page to over 80 classmates. The victim's father contacted authorities once he learned about the site.

Kathleen Green, the grandmother of one of the stars of MTV's reality television show "16 and Pregnant," told reporters at celebrity gossip web site TMZ.com that she may sue the show's producers for defamation.

She's the grandmother of father Isaiah Green, one of the "baby daddies" featured on the show.

The potential plaintiff said MTV's "set up" shots and use of editing misrepresented her family in one episode that focuses on Isaiah Green, teenage mother Christinna Robinson and the birth of their daughter, Destiny. In fact, she claims, "nothing that aired is what happened" in real life.

The run-up to last week's midterm election saw some of the most negative campaigning in recent memory, generating countless defamation lawsuits against politicians for attack ads. But even after the election, some of the lawsuits remain. 

It appears as if Illinois wrapped up election day without a candidate suing his or her rival, at least for defamation. But a defamation lawsuit brought by Massachusetts state Sen. Harriette L. Chandler against Republican rival William J. Higgins Sr. is still active in the wake of the election, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported.

The plaintiff actually won her election, so you can't just chalk it up to sour grapes.

Chicago police officers Lynn Mueris and Jason Vanna filed a defamation lawsuit against police Superintendent Jody Weis, claiming the city's top cop falsely accused them of using excessive force against a handcuffed teenager, the Chicago Tribune reported.

While the Tribune referred to it a "libel" suit, the Chicago Sun-Times called it a "slander" suit; either way, it's still a defamation suit. See the Related Resources section below to learn how they differ.

The Belleville News-Democrat reported on the case of John Grinston, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity after being charged with stabbing his wife to death in 1997. But the paper used a photo of Keith Grinston, John Grinston's brother, to identify the murderer who was ruled insane, the Riverfront Times reported.   

The photo has since been removed (it accompanied the first linked article, above) but now-plaintiff Keith Grinston claims they used his photo to illustrate stories about his brother twice before but ignored his efforts to correct them. He sued the paper for defamation and is seeking punitive damages for emotional distress and humiliation.