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Murphy v. Boston Herald: Some Beantown Benchslappery

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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… an ATL post not related to law firm pay raises!
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently issued a somewhat saucy opinion in a libel case brought by a state court judge, Ernest B. Murphy, against a New England tabloid, the Boston Herald. No, we don’t know who is more icky.
Given the demanding “actual malice” standard, libel cases can be tough to win — but in this case, the plaintiff prevailed. Judge Murphy won a $2 million verdict against the Herald. This verdict, as modified by the trial judge, was just upheld by the SJC.
Yesterday we sat down with the folks over at Gawker to chat about the case. Check out our IM conversation with them by clicking here.
Understanding The ‘Boston Herald’ Libel Case [Gawker]
Judge’s Libel Victory Against Paper Is Upheld [New York Times]
Murphy v. Boston Herald [Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (click on “Opinions” in lefthand column)]
Case Report for Ernest B. Murphy v. Boston Herald [MoreLaw.com]

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