Hardboard Machinery Co., Inc. v. Coastal Products Corp.

MEMORANDUM

BOOTLE, Chief Judge.

I have decided to sustain the motions to dismiss these four libel suits.

In Georgia libel and slander are succinctly defined in Code §§ 105-701 and 105-702 (and newspaper libel in 105-703). Under § 105-702 “charges made against another in reference to his trade, office, or profession, calculated to injure him therein” are actionable per se, because in such instances said Code Section says “damage is inferred.” Van Epps v. Jones, 50 Ga. 238 (1873).

We pretermit the question whether it is sufficiently alleged, or could be, that the words complained of were used “in…