Legal Opinion
Richmond v. Thompson
Washington Supreme Court
Decided September 26, 1996No. 63541-2PublishedCited by 54 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtJohnson, J.
— This is a defamation case in which we are asked to decide whether citizen complaints regarding police conduct are absolutely privileged under either the federal and state constitutions or common law. Washington State Patrol Trooper Davis Richmond sued Thompson for defamation on the basis of a letter Thompson sent to the Governor’s Office. In the letter, Thompson alleged Trooper Richmond assaulted him and threatened to "blow his head off” following a routine traffic stop. A jury awarded Trooper Richmond $15,000, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. In addition, Thompson challenges the jury…
2Cases cited44 opinions
- Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1986
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanSupreme Court of the United States · 1964
- Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1974
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1984
- Speiser v. RandallSupreme Court of the United States · 1958
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3Cited by54 opinions
- Ino Ino, Inc. v. City of BellevueWashington Supreme Court · 1997
- Ino Ino, Inc. v. City of BellevueWashington Supreme Court · 1997
- GRANT CTY. FIRE PROT. DIST. v. City of Moses LakeWashington Supreme Court · 2004
- State v. WWJ Corp.Washington Supreme Court · 1999
- State v. WWJ Corp.Washington Supreme Court · 1999
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