Metropolitan Life Insurance v. KnickerBocker Broadcasting Co.

The motion is addressed to the sufficiency of the affirmative defenses in the second amended answer of defendant Knickerbocker Broadcasting Company, Inc. The complaint is in libel based upon the broadcast of twenty-two alleged defamatory statements over radio station WMCA, owned and operated by the defendant corporation. Each one of these alleged libels is made the subject of a separate cause of action.

As appears from the allegations in the complaint, the plaintiff is a New York mutual insurance company with approximately 29,000,000 policyholders, selling two important types of insurance, one…