Lemonis v. Hogue

Appellee brought suit against appellant for slander and recovered a judgment for $2000 actual damages and $1000 punitive damages. Appellant contends that he was entitled to a peremptory instruction which was refused by the trial court.

*780The declaration charges that appellant made the following charge against appellee: “That fellow Lloyd Hogue stole $300.00 in cash from under my cash register this morning and I’m going to have him arrested.” Words which accuse a person of being a thief are actionable per se, Valley Dry Goods Co. v. Buford, 114 Miss. 414, 427, 75 So. 252. To sustain a charge of…