ZAWISTOWAKI v. Kissinger

William Zawistowski appeals a judgment entered after a jury found that Harold Kissinger did not make the statements alleged in Zawistowski's defamation action. Zawistowski contends that the trial court erred by: (1) ordering bifurcation of the trial to first address the issue of whether Kissinger made the alleged statements before proceeding to trial on the issue of defamation; (2) dismissing his cause of action for libel based on statements published in a newspaper because Kissinger was not afforded notice of the intended action as required under sec. 895.05(2), Stats.; (3) allowing jurors…