Related Practices

Admitted to Practice

New York
California
District of Columbia
U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court Northern District of California

Deborah Adler

Associate

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New York

T212.603.6452

F212.489.8340

Debbie Adler has well over a decade of litigation experience and was recognized as a “New York Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine in 2012 in the areas of First Amendment and media litigation.

Debbie represents news and entertainment companies, as well as individual journalists, in a wide array of content-related disputes. Her practice involves claims of libel, copyright, DMCA, trademark, publicity/privacy, reporter’s privilege, and prior restraint. She has successfully litigated in state and federal trial courts as well as in numerous appellate courts.

Debbie advises newspapers and book publishers, websites, and television producers in connection with pre-publication and pre-broadcast review. As part of her counseling practice, she regularly performs pre-publication review in the newsroom of The New York Post. In the summer of 2011, she was seconded as the Senior Vice President for Intellectual Property and Litigation of MTV Networks.

She has also served as a secretary and then member, for the New York City Bar Committee for Communications and Media Law.

Representative Experience

Agence France Presse v. Morel

Currently representing the Washington Post and Getty Images and represented CBS (which settled) in litigation arising from wire service's use of photographs of Haitian earthquake posted on Twitpic, a social networking application. Wire service licensed the images to Getty Images, who licensed them to CBS, the Washington Post and other news outlets. Lanham Act claims have been dismissed and the parties continue to litigate the remaining (copyright and DMCA) claims. 2011 WL 147718 (S.D.N.Y. Ongoing)

Fleisher v. Gawker Media LLC and Gothamist LLC, et al.

Successfully defeated plaintiff's request for a temporary injunction that would have required websites to take down certain articles and accompanying reader comments in this defamation claim. (N.Y. Cnty. Sup. Ct. Ongoing)

Rodrigues v. NY Daily News, et al.

Representing the New York Post, Maxim Magazine and the New York Daily News against defamation claims arising from articles reporting on plaintiff’s arrest and release on charges of murdering her husband, a famous light-weight championship boxer, and which she claims falsely described her as a former stripper and exotic dancer. (D.N.J., Ongoing)

Klig v. Harper’s Magazine Foundation

Obtained dismissal of libel claims against Harper’s Magazine Foundation arising from the publication of correspondence that had been attached to a criminal complaint against the plaintiff, which charged him with extortion and stalking of an ex-girlfriend through a series of anonymous letters and emails that threatened to expose a supposed sex tape if she did not comply with his demand that she send him nude photos of herself. Court granted dismissal based upon fair report privilege and opinion grounds. 2011 NY Slip Op 31173 (Nassau Cnty, Sup. Ct. 2011)

Diaz v. NBC Universal, Inc.

Defended Universal Pictures in obtaining dismissal of libel class action based on the film 'American Gangster,' obtained dismissal of all claims, which was affirmed by the 2d Circuit Court of Appeals. (S.D.N.Y. 2009, 2d Cir 2010) Read more

Maharam v. Little, Brown, et al.

Represented Little, Brown and author James Patterson in copyright infringement action arising out of children's book "SantaKid." Summary judgment granted and affirmed by 2nd Circuit. 2010 WL 827088 (2d Cir. 2010)

Salinger v. Colting

Represented J.D. Salinger in a copyright infringement action against the author, publisher and distributor of a self-proclaimed sequel to "The Catcher in the Rye." Motion for preliminary injunction was granted and appealed to the 2nd Circuit where the matter was vacated and remanded. Permanent injunction entered; case settled. 641 F. Supp. 2d 250 (S.D.N.Y., 2d Cir. 2010)

Stern v. Rita Cosby, Hachette Book Group USA

Represented Rita Cosby in libel action brought by Howard K. Stern, former partner of Anna Nicole Smith, arising out of Cosby's book "Blonde Ambition." (S.D.N.Y. 2009)

Atrium Group v. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Won dismissal of Lanham Act and unfair competition claims in a dispute over the publication of U.S. versions of Spanish books. Action subsequently settled. 565 F. Supp. 2d 505 (S.D.N.Y. 2008)

Miller v. Holtzbrinck Publishers

Successfully defended publisher and co-author of novel against claims of fraudulent inducement, conversion and tortious interference by plaintiff who alleged that novel plagiarized plaintiff's manuscript. Case was dismissed. 2010 WL 1932322 (S.D.N.Y. 2008)

Time Inc., et al. v. Budd, et al.

Represented magazine publishers in copyright and trademark infringement action against website described as 'Napster for the magazine industry.' (S.D.N.Y. 2008) Read more

Planned Parenthood Fed. of America, et al. v. Ashcroft*

Member of plaintiffs' successful trial team (prior to reversal by the Supreme Court); included successful opposition to the production of 1,000 medical records on grounds of informational privacy. (2004)

Standard & Poors for Standard & Poors

Represented financial reporting company in assertion of the reporter's privilege.

Xiu Xiu v. Rolling Stone

Represented magazine in right of publicity claim.

* Denotes experience completed at a prior firm

Additional Qualifications

Secondment, Senior Vice President, Intellectual Property and Litigation, MTV Networks, May-July, 2011

Professional & Community Activities

Secretary, Committee on Communications and Media Law, New York City Bar Association, 2008-2011
Correspondent for the Class of '96, Stanford Alumni Association

Professional Recognition

Selected to "New York Rising Stars," Thomson Reuters, 2012

Education

J.D., Harvard Law School, 2000
- Harvard-Berkeley Exchange Program
- Articles Editor, Women's Law Journal
B.A., Stanford University, 1996, with distinction
- High Honors, thesis in 19th century American history
- Member, Cap & Gown, Stanford Women's Honor Society