William C. McBride v. Merrell Dow and Pharmaceuticals Inc., an Ohio Corporation

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge BORK.

BORK, Circuit Judge:

Appellant William G. McBride, an Australian expert in the field of teratology— the study of agents that can cause developmental abnormalities in embryos — challenges the dismissal of his defamation action for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted. The alleged defamation was contained in a magazine article. Our jurisdiction rests entirely upon the parties’ diverse citizenship and we must apply District of Columbia defamation law. That law suggests that the complaint states one claim upon which relief can be…