Doe v. Roe

The defendant, Jane Doe, appeals from a judgment permanently enjoining distribution of her novel portraying the murder of the natural mother of plaintiff John Roe's adoptive children. We reverse and remand.

I. Facts

In 1984, the natural mother of Roe's adoptive children was murdered by their natural father. The man dismembered his wife's body and buried it under a fish pond in the back yard of the family's home. When her body was discovered approximately three years later, the event and the resulting trial received much publicity. The children's natural father was convicted and is now serving a…