Taus v. Loftus

Opinion

GEORGE, C. J.

Plaintiff in this action, Nicole Taus, was the unnamed subject of a “case study” set forth in a prominent scholarly article describing her apparent recovery of a long-repressed memory of childhood abuse. (The article referred to plaintiff as “Jane Doe.”) Defendants are the authors and publishers of two subsequent articles that, in questioning the basic premise advanced by the initial article, disclosed various aspects of plaintiff’s family background and personal life but did not disclose her identity. (Like the initial article, defendants’ articles referred to plaintiff…