Legal Opinion · Dissent
Marcelo Rodriguez v. Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Decided December 3, 2002No. 00-56923Published
1DissentReinhardt, Circuit Judge
George Michael responded to press inquiries regarding what he thought to be unfair police practices. In the course of several colorful interviews, he described the circumstances of his arrest by a Beverly Hills Police officer, alleging that he had fallen prey to police entrapment. Michael — a successful celebrity with deep pockets — now finds himself subject to a lawsuit alleging defamation. By allowing the suit to proceed, the majority gives law enforcement officers a tool to silence speech on a topic of critical public importance — police misconduct. Under California law, Michael’s speech…
2Cases cited19 opinions
- Harlow v. FitzgeraldSupreme Court of the United States · 1982
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanSupreme Court of the United States · 1964
- Atwater v. City of Lago VistaSupreme Court of the United States · 2001
- Rosenblatt v. BaerSupreme Court of the United States · 1966
- Clement v. GomezCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2002
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