Goebeler v. Wilhelm
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Appeal, No. 44, April T., 1901, by-defendants, from judgment of C. P. No. 2, Allegheny Co., July T., 1898, No. 899, on verdict for plaintiff in case of Margaret Goebeler v. C. Wilbelm and Margaret Wilbelm, his wife. Trespass for libel. Before White, P. J. From the record it appeared that the defendant, Margaret Wilhelm, wrote a letter in German, rolled the letter in some paper and threw it into the butcher shop of plaintiff’s father.
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Appeal, No. 44, April T., 1901, by-defendants, from judgment of C. P. No. 2, Allegheny Co., July T., 1898, No. 899, on verdict for plaintiff in case of Margaret Goebeler v. C. Wilbelm and Margaret Wilbelm, his wife. Trespass for libel. Before White, P. J. From the record it appeared that the defendant, Margaret Wilhelm, wrote a letter in German, rolled the letter in some paper and threw it into the butcher shop of plaintiff’s father. The court charged in part as follows: According to the evidence, the defendant wrote a letter in German, which is given in evidence here, rolled that letter up…
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Rice, P. J.,
If words are reasonably susceptible of a defamatory meaning as well as an innocent one, the plaintiff may by an innuendo ascribe the former meaning to them and it will be for the jury to decide whether such meaning is truly ascribed to them; but the quality of an alleged libel, as it stands upon the record, either simply or as explained by averments and innuendoes, is purely a question of law for the court, and in civil cases the *440court is bound to instruct the jury as to whether the publication is libelous, supposing the innuendoes to be true: Collins v. Dispatch Pub.…
2Cases cited18 opinions
- Sugar Notch BoroughSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1899
- Collins v. Dispatch Publishing Co.Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1893
- Commonwealth v. JonesSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1897
- Rodebaugh v. Philadelphia Traction Co.Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1899
- Price v. ConwaySupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1890
13 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by11 opinions
- Weiss v. Swift & Co.Superior Court of Pennsylvania · 1908
- Binder v. Pottstown Daily News Publishing Co.Superior Court of Pennsylvania · 1907
- Garvin v. MercurSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1917
- Good v. Grit Publishing Co.Superior Court of Pennsylvania · 1908
- Egan v. Dubois Printing & Publishing Co.Superior Court of Pennsylvania · 1916
6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.