Durr v. Kelleher

Defendant appeals from a judgment after a trial to the court awarding damages for defamation. The court found that defendant had maliciously slandered plaintiff by calling him a "crook” and a "dishonest” police officer. Defendant’s sole contention on appeal is that the communications were absolutely privileged, as opposed to qualifiedly privileged as determined by the trial court. We affirm.

This case arose out of defendant’s initial complaint that he had been defrauded out of a vehicle title by one of his customers. He felt that he had a basis to file criminal charges and contacted the…