top of page

Henderson v. Henderson

Rhode Island Superior Court

1996 WL 936966 (R.I. Super 1996)

​

Summary
Procedural History
Judicial Opinion
Citations

A defendant is liable for defamation if he publishes an unprivileged, false, and defamatory statement concerning the plaintiff in at least a negligent manner that results in damages to the plaintiff and may be subjected to punitive damages if the defendant made the statements with malice or wickedness requiring the imposition of punishment.

Relevant Facts

Susan Henderson (the plaintiff) filed suit for defamation against her ex-husband, Brian Henderson (the defendant) after he mailed a stream of letters to the plaintiff that referred to her as a “wacko” and a “whore” on the envelope. For nearly three years, the defendant also sent similar letters to the plaintiff’s father, sister, and the parties’ grown daughter. Additionally, the defendant claimed the plaintiff was mentally unstable.

At trial, the plaintiff produced copies of the letters and witnesses who corroborated her claims as well as evidence of checks initialized by the defendant with obscene connotations on them. Additionally, the plaintiff motioned for an order permitting discovery on the issue of punitive damages. In response, the defendant filed a motion to strike the claim for punitive damages. After a hearing, the court ruled on both motions.

Issue

Get access to our database of over 17,000+ case briefs today. Access our issue statements for every case you'll encounter in law school for a low monthly price. The largest database on the internet is now available with Lawwly, the central legal hub. Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings in seconds, to supplement your notes and outlines, and to outshine your classmates. No one has a more comprehensive case brief database than Lawwly. All of our briefs are handwritten by real legal experts and law professors and our stringent editing process ensures you'll get the best quality briefs available.

Holding & Reasoning

Get access to our database of over 17,000+ case briefs today. Access holding & reasonings for every case you'll encounter in law school for a low monthly price. The largest database on the internet is now available with Lawwly, the central legal hub. Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings in seconds, to supplement your notes and outlines, and to outshine your classmates. No one has a more comprehensive case brief database than Lawwly. All of our briefs are handwritten by real legal experts and law professors and our stringent editing process ensures you'll get the best quality briefs available.

Concurrence

Get access to our database of over 17,000+ case briefs today. Access all available concurrences for every case you'll encounter in law school for a low monthly price. The largest database on the internet is now available with Lawwly, the central legal hub. Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings in seconds, to supplement your notes and outlines, and to outshine your classmates. No one has a more comprehensive case brief database than Lawwly. All of our briefs are handwritten by real legal experts and law professors and our stringent editing process ensures you'll get the best quality briefs available.

Dissent

Get access to our database of over 17,000+ case briefs today. Access all available dissents for every case you'll encounter in law school for a low monthly price. The largest database on the internet is now available with Lawwly, the central legal hub. Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings in seconds, to supplement your notes and outlines, and to outshine your classmates. No one has a more comprehensive case brief database than Lawwly. All of our briefs are handwritten by real legal experts and law professors and our stringent editing process ensures you'll get the best quality briefs available.

Last updated:

December 22, 2020

Judicial Opinion

Get access to our database of over 17,000 case briefs today. Our database of judicial opinions will be released soon, for free!

Procedural History

Get access to our database of over 17,000+ case briefs today. Access the entire procedural history for every case you'll encounter in law school for a low monthly price. The largest database on the internet is now available with Lawwly, the central legal hub. Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings in seconds, to supplement your notes and outlines, and to outshine your classmates. No one has a more comprehensive case brief database than Lawwly. All of our briefs are handwritten by real legal experts and law professors and our stringent editing process ensures you'll get the best quality briefs available.

Citations

1996 WL 936966 (R.I. Super 1996)

bottom of page