Lee v. Traxler

¶1 Appellants Robert Lee, John Hagman, and Matthew Flesch allege Appellees Buck E. Traxler and Independent-Observer, Inc., published defamatory statements about the group concerning an incident at a rest area northeast of Conrad, Montana. All parties filed motions for summary judgment on the issue of whether the publication constituted defamatory libel. The District Court determined that the statements were not defamatory and granted summary judgment in favor of Traxler and Independent-Observer, Inc. Lee, Hagman, and Flesch appeal. We affirm.

ISSUE

¶2 We restate the issue on appeal as follows:

Di…