Hassan

BLEASE, Acting P.J.

This is an appeal from a summary judgment granted Mercy American River Hospital (Mercy) in Dr. Allen Hassan's action for injurious falsehood based on information Mercy provided Roseville Community Hospital (Roseville) regarding Dr. Hassan's qualifications, fitness and character for medical staff privileges.

Dr. Hassan had staff privileges at Mercy from 1970 to 1986. At Roseville's request, Mercy sent the hospital its file on Dr. Hassan, which included a memorandum of a telephone conversation between Mercy's Chief of Staff, Dr. Jensen, and the Associate Medical Director of Mendocino State Hospital, Dr. Cook, concerning Dr. Hassan's residency in psychiatry/neurology from 1969-1970. The telephone conversation followed upon a letter from Dr. Cook, which said Dr. Hassan had "a number of different personality problems .... that caused us to have to allow him to resign November 3, 1969, and his resignation was by mutual consent."

Dr. Hassan does not challenge the letter. Rather, he complains about the part of the memorandum in which Cook commented adversely on his residency and referred inter alia to Dr. Hassan's personality as "MILITANT vs. authority" and "[t]ends…