Blouin v. Anton

The plaintiff alleged that the defendant newspaper, the Times Argus, on December 5, 1977, wilfully, falsely and maliciously published a defamatory news article about him under the by-line of its reporter, defendant Racz. He further alleged that the news article quoted slanderous remarks about him made by the defendant Anton to the reporter. A copy of the article was attached to and incorporated by reference into the plaintiff’s complaint.

From a review of the pleadings, the following facts appear to be uncontroverted. The plaintiff, a former Barre alderman and school commissioner, had recently…