Neal Horsley v. Geraldo Rivera

CYNTHIA HOLCOMB HALL, Circuit Judge:

Defendant/appellant Geraldo Rivera appeals the district court’s determination that a statement Rivera made to plaintiff/appellee Neal Horsley during the course of a television program hosted by Rivera is not protected as a matter of law by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution nor by applicable state law. Rivera asserted that Horsley was an “accomplice to murder.” Because we find that Rivera’s allegedly defamatory statement is absolutely protected as rhetorical hyperbole by both the First Amendment and applicable state defamation law, we…