Edwards

Plaintiff Willis Edwards appeals from the summary judgment entered in favor of defendant Arsenio Hall in this defamation action. We find that triable issues of material fact exist and, accordingly, reverse the judgment.

Background

In November 1988, Hall was in the preproduction phase of “The Arsenio Hall Show” (AHS), a nationally syndicated talk show. Edwards, who was then the president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), requested a meeting with Hall to discuss allegations that the hiring practices of AHS were discriminatory against Blacks. Such a meeting occurred on November 30, 1988 (the November 30 meeting).

On January 5, 1989, following the premier of AHS, The Los Angeles Sentinel (The Sentinel) published an article wherein Edwards was quoted as stating: “ ‘Once again, we are being utilized as a viewing audience and as on-camera talent, but ignored in the key positions such as directors, producers or writers.’ ”

Hall, upset both by Edwards’s comments and by The Sentinel’s failure to obtain his side of the story, arranged for an interview with The Sentinel, which took place on January…