Cochran v. Piedmont Publishing Co.

EAGLES, Judge.

The lower court’s ruling left for trial the issue of whether plaintiff is entitled to compensatory damages for libel. The sole issue presented on this appeal is whether the trial court properly entered partial summary judgment in favor of defendant on plaintiffs claim for punitive damages. The record in this case indicates a factual dispute as to the content of the verbal exchange between the persons in the photograph and the defendants’ photographer at the time the photograph was taken. Because of this factual dispute, the resolution of which would bear on the punitive damages…