Stanley Goldblum, Plaintiff-Respondent v. National Broadcasting Corporation, Defendant-Petitioner

Our opinion explains the circumstances in which this court issued the order of June 8, 1978 granting petitioner’s application for emergency relief, and the reasons such relief was appropriate.

This action sought to enjoin the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) from broadcasting on its television network a well-publicized film entitled the “Billion Dollar Bubble.” The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on June 7, 1978, only slightly more than twenty-four hours before the time the telecast was scheduled, at 10:00 p. m. Eastern Daylight Time and 10:00 p. m. Pacific Daylight Time on June 8, 1978.

The “Billion Dollar Bubble” was based on events surrounding manipulations in an extensive securities and insurance fraud which caused the insolvency of the Equity Funding Corporation. The plaintiff (respondent here) is Stanley Goldblum, the former Executive Officer of the Equity Funding Corporation. He is presently serving a term of imprisonment under sentence of the United States district court for his participation in the Equity Funding fraud. The grounds upon which Goldblum sought to enjoin the scheduled broadcast were somewhat…