Kennedy v. Cannon

Cannon (defendant) represented Humphreys, a Black man charged with raping Kennedy (plaintiff), a white woman; Humphreys admitted to Cannon that he'd had intercourse with Kennedy but claimed it was consensual. Cannon relayed Humphreys's side of the story to a newspaper editor, who published an article recounting Kennedy's charges alongside Humphreys's admission and consent claim, prompting Kennedy to receive harassing calls from strangers and ultimately move out of state. Kennedy sued Cannon for slander; Cannon argued he believed sharing his client's side was necessary to protect Humphreys from lynching and that he was privileged to respond as he did. The trial court ruled for Cannon, and Kennedy appealed.