Burnett v. National Enquirer, Inc.
California Court of Appeal
144 Cal. App. 3d 991 (1983)
Relevant factsFree
The National Enquirer (defendant) published a false gossip item claiming Carol Burnett (plaintiff) got into a loud argument with Henry Kissinger and behaved erratically at a restaurant; after Burnett's attorney demanded a correction, the Enquirer printed one, but Burnett still sued for libel. A jury awarded $300,000 in compensatory and $1.3 million in punitive damages, which the trial court reduced to $50,000 and $750,000 respectively, and the Enquirer appealed.
IssueFree
Whether a plaintiff is limited to special damages in a libel action against a publisher that does not operate under the strict daily deadlines of current news coverage.