Strotek Corp. v. Air Transport Ass'n

MEMORANDUM **

Strotek Corporation appeals from summary judgment on its defamation and conspiracy claims. We have separately affirmed in a published opinion the denial of Strotek’s motion to remand. Here, we affirm the grant of summary judgment.

I

On appeal, Strotek identifies four allegedly defamatory statements which it attributes to Boeing Aircraft Co., the Air Transport Association of America (ATA), and the Regional Airline Association (RAA): (1) the April 12, 1994 letter from Boeing; (2) the December 8, 1994 statement of ATA reported in Aviation Daily; (3) comments made in the RAA’s June 30, 1994 Tech/Ops bulletin; and (4) further comments made in the December 14, 1994 Tech/Ops bulletin. Strotek also claims that the district court should have considered other, allegedly defamatory statements which Strotek identified in opposition to summary judgment but which were not set forth in Strotek’s complaint.

We agree with the district court that, as a matter of law, none of the four statements charged in Strotek’s complaint is susceptible of a defamatory interpretation. They all took place in the context of a vigorous debate about strobe light life, testing and replacement in the…