Gibson v. Philip Morris, Inc.

Defendants, Philip Morris, Inc. (Philip Morris), Edward Giancola, Beverly Brock, and Charles J. Robinson (collectively defendants), appeal the trial court’s judgment and award of both compensatory and punitive damages in favor of plaintiff, Randy Gibson, on his complaint for defamation. Defendants contend that, in this bench trial, plaintiff failed to prove the elements of defamation and that the trial court erred in awarding both compensatory and punitive damages. We affirm for the reasons set forth below.

FACTS

Plaintiff testified that, on January 24, 1983, he was hired by Giancola, a…