Peoples Life Insurance v. Talley

This is an action for slander and insulting words, brought by William I. Talley against the Peoples Life Insurance Company of Washington, D. C., and George Ernest Lilley. There was a verdict and judgment in the favor of the plaintiff for $600, and the case is before us on a writ of error to said judgment.

Talley had been employed by the Insurance Company for a number of years as a1 soliciting and collecting agent, and Lilley was the local manager of its branch offices at Portsmouth, Virginia. The Insurance Company received two anonymous letters severely criticizing Lilley for lack of backbone,…