Sipple

On September 22, 1975, Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate President Gerald R. Ford while the latter was visiting San Francisco, California. Plaintiff Oliver W. Sipple (hereafter appellant or Sipple) who was in the crowd at Union Square, San Francisco, grabbed or struck Moore’s arm as the latter was about to fire the gun and shoot at the President. Although no one can be certain whether or not Sipple actually saved the President’s life, the assassination attempt did not succeed and Sipple was considered a hero for his selfless action and was subject to significant publicity throughout the nation following the assassination attempt.

*1044 Among the many articles concerning the event was a column written by Herb Caen and published by the San Francisco Chronicle on September 24, 1975. The article read in part as follows: “One of the heroes of the day, Oliver ‘Bill’ Sipple, the ex-Marine who grabbed Sara Jane Moore’s arm just as her gun was fired and thereby may have saved the President’s life, was the center of midnight attention at the Red Lantern, a Golden Gate Ave. bar he favors. The Rev. Ray Broshears, head of Helping Hands, and Gay Politico, Harvey Milk, who claim…