Andrea Dworkin Priscilla Moree Judith Fouts v. Hustler Magazine Inc.

Andrea Dworkin is a prominent and outspoken feminist author and activist. She is a vocal advocate for the prohibition of pornography, and was one of the principal drafters of the ordinance against pornography enacted by the city of Indianapolis and struck down as unconstitutional. See American Booksellers Ass’n, Inc. v. Hudnut, 771 F.2d 323 (7th Cir.1985), aff'd mem., 475 U.S. 1001 , 106 S.Ct. 1172 , 89 L.Ed.2d 291 (1986). By her own admission, she is a public figure in this case. Hustler Magazine is a pornographic periodical. Much of its content consists of what we have recently described as “disgusting and distasteful abuse.” See Ault v. Hustler Magazine, Inc., 860 F.2d 877, 884 (9th Cir.1988). It is frequently named as a defendant in lawsuits such as this. See generally, e.g., Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, — U.S. -, 108 S.Ct. 876 , 99 L.Ed.2d 41 (1988); Leidholdt v. L.F.P. Inc., 860 F.2d 890, 892 (9th Cir.1988) (citing cases); Ault, 860 F.2d at 877 .

Predictably, Dworkin’s beliefs and Hustler’s editorial viewpoint are mimical to one another, and each party regards the other with hostility. In February, March, and December of 1984, Hustler published fea tures mentioning…