Briscoe v. Reader's Digest Association
Supreme Court of California
483 P.2d 34 (Cal. 1971)
Relevant factsFree
Marvin Briscoe (plaintiff) hijacked a truck in 1956, then reformed and lived a crime-free life for over a decade, with even his own daughter and friends unaware of his criminal past. In 1967, Reader's Digest (defendant) published an article on hijacking that named Briscoe and described his eleven-year-old crime without noting how long ago it had occurred, revealing the fact to people close to him for the first time. Briscoe sued for invasion of privacy; the trial court dismissed the suit, and Briscoe appealed.
IssueFree
Whether the public reporting of the identity of a person who committed a crime years earlier can violate that person's right to privacy.