Keefe v. O'Brien

Defendant, sued in slander, moves to dismiss the complaint on the ground that the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. Damages in the aggregate sum of $20,000 are demanded.

The asserted defamation consisted of the following words: “ You aré [meaning the plaintiff, Mary Keefe] a communist.” “ The whole neighborhood knows that you and your husband [meaning Mary Keefe and David Keefe] are communists.” “ Some investigator came to my house recently and I gave him the whole story about your being communists.” The words are alleged to have been uttered by…