Brewer v. Second Baptist Church

In an action for libel, judgment was entered in favor of plaintiffs for a total of $14,000. Both plaintiffs were members of the Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Defendant Henderson was the pastor of the church ; defendants Hilton and Hudson were chairman and secretary, respectively, of the board of deacons. Exemplary damages were sought against defendant Henderson only. The jury returned verdicts in favor of each plaintiff for $2,000 general damages against the three defendants and $5,000 exemplary damages against defendant Henderson.

The publication of the defamatory statements followed…