Gray v. Pentland
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
In Error. ERROR to the Common Pleas of Allegheny county, in which a bill' of exceptions was taken to the charge of the: Court, and also to the admission of parol evidence to prove the contents of the writing which was the cause of action. It was a suit for a libel made and published by Gray, the defendant, against Pentland, who was the prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny county.
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In Error. ERROR to the Common Pleas of Allegheny county, in which a bill' of exceptions was taken to the charge of the: Court, and also to the admission of parol evidence to prove the contents of the writing which was the cause of action. It was a suit for a libel made and published by Gray, the defendant, against Pentland, who was the prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny county. The defendant made a deposition before a justice of the peace, charging the plaintiff with several offences in the transaction of his official business, and concluding with an allegation that “ from…
1Opinion of the Court
Ye ates J.
I have no doubt, that an individual, who maliciously, wantonly, and without probable cause, asperses the character of a public officer in a written or printed paper, delivered to those who are invested with the power of removing him from office, is responsible to the party injured in damages, although such paper is masked under the specious cover of investigating the conduct of such officer for the general good. Public policy demands no such sacrifice of the rights of persons in an official capacity, nor will the law endure such mockery of its justice.
But hard as such a case…
2Cases cited1 opinion
- Commonwealth v. SnellMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1807
3Cited by7 opinions
- Root v. King & VerplanckNew York Supreme Court · 1827
- Howard v. ThompsonNew York Supreme Court · 1839
- State ex rel. Douglas v. TuneMissouri Court of Appeals · 1918
- Yoter v. SannoSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1837
- State ex rel. Douglas v. ReynoldsSupreme Court of Missouri · 1919
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