Sloan v. Hatton

A case of libel?

No.

The defendant wrote and mailed a letter to Illinois Attorney General William J. Scott stating that the plaintiff ° ° was in the mobile home business and has since had to close his doors mainly because of poor management.” The complaint before us alleged that this statement was libelous per se, and therefore plead no special damages.

A motion to dismiss was filed, alleging that such expression was not libelous per se. The trial court agreed and dismissed the case.

We also agree and we affirm.

The background — the record tells us — is essentially this: Sloan sent his nephew,…