Lawson v. Hicks
Supreme Court of Alabama
Appeal from tlie Circuit Court of Macon. Tried before the Hon. Nat. Cook. This action was brought by Henry H. Hicks, against John R. Lawson, to recover damages for defamatory words Written and'published by the defendant, of and concerning the plaintiff, in filing cross-interrogatories to one Lamb, whose deposition was taken by the plaintiff in a former action of trespass instituted By him; against the defendant.
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Appeal from tlie Circuit Court of Macon. Tried before the Hon. Nat. Cook. This action was brought by Henry H. Hicks, against John R. Lawson, to recover damages for defamatory words Written and'published by the defendant, of and concerning the plaintiff, in filing cross-interrogatories to one Lamb, whose deposition was taken by the plaintiff in a former action of trespass instituted By him; against the defendant. All the alleged defamatory words: were contained in the sixth cross-interrogatory, which was as follows : “If, in mswer- to the direct interrogatories, you should state that you heard…
1Opinion of the CourtA. J. Walker, C. J.
Words, calumnious in their nature, may be deprived of their actionable quality by the occasion of their utterance or publication. When this is the case, they are called in the law of defamation privileged communications. These communications are either absolutely or conditionally privileged. When they are absolutély privileged, the-daw affords conclusive and indisputable immunity from suit. Whdn they are conditionally privileged, the law simply withdraws the legal inference of malice, and gives a protection upon the condition, that actual malice, or express malice, or malice in fact, (as the…
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- Hastings v. LuskCourt for the Trial of Impeachments and Correction of Errors · 1839
- Gilbert v. PeopleCourt for the Trial of Impeachments and Correction of Errors · 1845
- Ewing v. SanfordSupreme Court of Alabama · 1851
- Mower v. WatsonSupreme Court of Vermont · 1839
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