Maethner v. Someplace Safe, Inc.
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The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the decision of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Appellants - Someplace Safe, Inc. an advocacy organization, and Jacquelyn Jorud, Respondent's former wife - in this defamation and negligence action, holding that summary judgment was properly awarded to Someplace Safe on negligence but that the question of damages required a remand.
Respondent alleged that Appellants' statements accused him of committing domestic violence. The district court granted summary judgment to Appellants on the defamation claims, concluding that the statements were protected by a qualified privilege, Respondent failed to establish a genuine issue of material face on malice, and Respondent had not shown proof of actual damages. The court of appeals reversed, concluding that Respondent provided sufficient evidence of damages and breach of duty to warrant a trial on his claims. The Supreme Court held (1) Respondent's defamation claim against Jorud must be remanded to determine whether the allegedly defamatory statements involved a matter of public or private concern; and (2) no material fact questions existed about whether Someplace Safe acted with reasonable care before publishing the allegedly defamatory statements.
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