Montandon

Montandon v. Cox Broadcasting Corp.

Good Law
120 Cal. Rptr. 196·1975 Cal. App. LEXIS 1741·45 Cal. App. 3d 932
Court of Appeal of CaliforniaMarch 12, 1975Civ. 32762California1,614 words

Opinion

Opinion

Bray, J.

Plaintiff appeals from judgment of the San Francisco Superior Court in favor of defendants.

Question Presented

Defendants are not legally responsible for the libelous changes made to their article by TV Guide.

Record

Plaintiff filed a complaint against Cox Broadcasting Corp., Pat Michaels and others for libel because of the publication in TV Guide of the article hereinafter described, submitted by the above-named defendants, but altered by the publishers of said magazine. Defendants answered the complaint and later moved for directed verdict. The trial court granted the m otion and entered judgment in favor of defendants.

The Facts

Detendant Cox Broadcasting Corp. (hereinafter “Cox”) is a corporation which operates KTVU Channel 2 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Triangle Publications, Inc. (hereinafter “Triangle”) is a separately owned, managed, financed, and operated corporation which publishes TV Guide. Defendant Pat Michaels is an employee of Cox. For a Pat Michaels show to be produced later, a Cox employee issued a press release which read: "FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th, 10:30 P.M., TAT MICHAELS SHOW’, [U] ‘FROM PARTY-GIRL TO CALL-GIRL?’ [H] How far can the ‘party-girl’…

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