Pring v. Penthouse International
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
695 F.2d 438 (1983)
Relevant factsFree
A Penthouse (defendant) story described a fictional Miss Wyoming pageant contestant named Charlene performing a sexual act on a football player that caused him to levitate, a plainly fantastical plot device; the real Miss Wyoming, Kimerli Pring (plaintiff), sued for defamation, arguing readers would associate the fictional character with her, and a jury found in her favor.
IssueFree
Whether a story can be defamatory if it makes a false representation of fact.