Seley-Radtke v. Hosmane

This case involves a matter of first impression requiring this Court to determine the standard of proof necessary to overcome a common law conditional privilege in a purely private defamation action.1 Purely private defamation *472involves a defamation action that arises “when the reputation of a private individual is tarnished by a report of a private matter not of general or public concern[.]” Jacron Sales Co. v. Sindorf, 276 Md. 580, 588, 350 A.2d 688, 693 (1976). Although this Court and the Court of Special Appeals have addressed issues concerning the standard of proof of fault in defamation…