Defamation & Privacy

Practice Contacts

Adler, Deborah , Balin, Robert D. , Bayard, Samuel M. , Bosworth, Duane A. , Burke, Thomas R. , Carolan, Duffy , Chase, Jeremy A. , Davis, Edward J. , Doran, Ambika Kumar , Duran, Sarah K. , Foley, Carolyn K. , Glasser, Jeff , Handman, Laura R. , Henry, Karen A. , Johnson, Bruce E. H. , Kono, Kevin H. , Koonce, Lance , Kovner, Victor A. , Laidman, Dan , McNamara, Elizabeth A. , Nelson, Marshall J. , Paul, Marcia B. , Pendleton, Constance M. , Peng-Sue, Collin J. , Robinson, Christopher J. , Rosenfeld, James , Sager, Kelli L. , Schary, Alison B. , Segal, Jonathan , Stahl, Eric M. , Steinman, Linda , Summerscales, Joanna E. , Tashman, Henry J. , Waggoner, Daniel M. , Wickers IV, Alonzo , Wilcox, Rochelle L. , Zycherman, Lisa B.

Related Practices

Defamation and privacy cases can be complex and, if not handled properly, can be expensive in terms of litigation costs and judgments. Given the high stakes, it is important to work with lawyers who have substantial experience handling these kinds of claims.

Our media litigators have a strong national reputation representing defendants in defamation and invasion of privacy cases across the country, at every level of the state and federal court systems. Members of our media group routinely are ranked among the top practitioners in their respective geographic areas. Our clients include newspapers, magazines, book and online publishers, movie studios, television and cable networks, authors and journalists.

We were among the first to utilize California’s unique anti-SLAPP laws, which allow defendants in many defamation suits to bring an early motion to have the lawsuit dismissed, and which provide for recovery of attorneys’ fees. In other jurisdictions as well, we have a proven track record of obtaining early dismissals of these kinds of claims.

We also work with our clients to avoid defamation and privacy suits, by providing timely and thorough pre-publication and pre-broadcast advice and counseling, as well as seminars for print and broadcast reporters, bloggers and in-house counsel. And with the rise of Internet publishing bringing a corresponding increase in overseas libel suits against U.S.-based media companies, we regularly counsel our clients regarding the interplay between U.S. and foreign law. Our attorneys were the first to convince U.S. courts to refuse to enforce foreign libel judgments, and one of our lawyers testified in Congress in support of federal legislation, the SPEECH Act, that effectively codifies those decisions.