Ex Parte the Birmingham News, Inc.

This is an invasion-of-privacy case arising from an alleged incident of sexual harassment in the workplace. The plaintiff, Teresa Watson, was employed by a temporary agency that placed her in a job with The Birmingham News, Inc. ("The News"), a newspaper publisher. She sued The News, alleging that it, through a person she claimed was its agent and whom she identified as "Derrick," had invaded her privacy by giving publicity to an incident between her and William Lowery, a security guard stationed at The News's place of business. After a jury trial, the court entered a judgment for the…