Ransopher v. Chapman

David Newbern, Justice.

This is a defamation case. We have no public figure plaintiff, no “media” defendant, and no matter of “public concern, ” thus we will be able, for the most part, to avoid the First Amendment quagmire exemplified in New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964); Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323 (1974); and Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc., 472 U.S. 749 (1985). John Ransopher, a building contractor, presented evidence that Norman Chapman, a person for whom Ransopher was constructing a residence, called Ransopher a liar and a cheat. The…