Purcell v. Westinghouse Broadcasting Co.

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Musmanno,

Austin Purcell, the plaintiff in this case, sued the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, owner of radio station KYW in Philadelphia, for slander and libel, averring in his complaint that the defendant on March 20, 1955, through the facilities of KYW, “recklessly; falsely, wickedly, maliciously and illegally broadcast” a program entitled “Tow a Crooked Mile, which broadcast was false, scandalous, malicious, defamatory, libelous and slanderous,” in that it accused the plaintiff of participating in law violations and schemes to defraud the public.

The defendant filed…