Freedom Communications, Inc. v. Coronado

This interlocutory appeal is from the denial of a media defendant’s motion for summary judgment regarding claims that it defamed the plaintiffs and invaded their privacy by publishing a political advertisement. We conclude that neither the court of appeals nor this Court has jurisdiction to consider the merits of the parties’ arguments because the trial court judge accepted a bribe for ruling on the summary-judgment motion, constitutionally disqualifying him from this case and thus making his order void. We vacate the judgment of the court of appeals and remand the case to the trial court for…