Alcor Life Extension Foundation v. Johnson

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (O. Peter Sherwood, J.), entered May 6, 2014, which granted defendants Vanguard Press, Inc.’s and Scott Baldyga’s motions for summary judgment dismissing the complaint as against them, unanimously affirmed, with costs.

As the motion court found, all the allegedly false and defamatory statements in the book written by defendant Baldyga and published by defendant Vanguard are related to plaintiff’s cryogenic business, which plaintiff publicized, and, therefore, all of those statements are subject to the actual malice standard of proof in a libel action (see…