Burt v. CBS, Inc.

769 F. Supp. 1012, 18 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2231, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19401, 1990 WL 303403
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedSeptember 24, 1990
DocketNo. C-3-90-092
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 769 F. Supp. 1012 (Burt v. CBS, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burt v. CBS, Inc., 769 F. Supp. 1012, 18 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2231, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19401, 1990 WL 303403 (S.D. Ohio 1990).

Opinion

RICE, District Judge.

This case arises out of an October 29, 1988 television broadcast by Defendant CBS, Inc., (“CBS”) on its program entitled “West 57th Street.” In his Amended Complaint (Doc. # 2), Plaintiff alleges that the program violated the Federal Communications Commission’s personal attack rule, 47 C.F.R. § 73.1920, and that it defamed him. Defendants1 have moved to dismiss Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint, arguing that there is no private right of action under the personal attack rule and that Plaintiff’s defamation claim is barred by the applicable statute of limitations, Ohio Rev.Code § 2305.11(A).2 See Doc. # 5.

In response to that branch of the motion in which Defendants contend there is no private right of action under the personal attack rule, Plaintiff, although not contesting Defendants’ contention, asserts that a prima facie violation of the rule exists which will be fully established with extrinsic evidence. As to Defendants’ contention that the statute of limitations bars his defamation claim, Plaintiff states that the program was repeated within one year of the filing of the Amended Complaint. Therefore, Plaintiff argues, the statute of limitations does not bar his defamation claim. To support this assertion, Plaintiff appends the affidavit of counsel to his memorandum in opposition to the motion to dismiss,3 stating that the program was aired a second time, within one year of March 5, 1990. Defendants’ response was a motion to strike the affidavit and a request that its time to file a reply memorandum be extended until after the Court ruled upon their motion to strike. See Doc. # 8.

For reasons that follow, the Court hereby sustains in part and stays in part in Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (Doc. # 5); directs Plaintiff to file a motion for leave to file a second amended complaint, and overrules Defendants’ Motion to Strike (Doc. #8).

First, there simply is no private right of action under the personal attack rule. Lechtner v. Brownyard, 679 F.2d 322 (3d Cir.1982). Notwithstanding Plaintiff’s contention that he has established a prima facie violation of the rule, the Court does not read his memorandum (Doc. # 7) as arguing that he has a private right of action. Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court concludes that Plaintiff has failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted for a violation of the personal attack rule. Therefore, the Court sustains the branch of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (Doc. # 5) addressed to Plaintiff’s claim under the personal attack rule.

As stated above, Plaintiff’s response to the branch of Defendants’ motion directed at his defamation claim was to say that the claim is not barred by the statute of limitations because the program was rebroadcast less than one year before the Amended Complaint was filed. In the interests of a prompt, efficient and just resolution of this [1014]*1014dispute,4 the Court hereby directs Plaintiff to file a motion for leave to amend, appended to which must be a proposed second amended complaint.5 The second amended complaint must set forth, within the strictures of Rule 11, sufficient allegations to defeat Defendants’ statute of limitations argument.6 The motion for leave to amend must be filed within 20 days of the entry of this decision. If Defendants oppose the motion for leave to amend, the parties shall brief the motion in accordance with the local rules. The Court will then take the matter under advisement and either sustain the motion for leave to amend, thus mooting the second branch of Defendants’ motion to dismiss, or overrule the motion for leave to amend and sustain the second branch of Defendants’ motion to dismiss.7

ON MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

This case arises out of a television broadcast by Defendant CBS, Inc., (“CBS”) on October 22 or 29, 1988, of a report about the Plaintiffs medical practice on its program entitled “West 57th Street.” In his second amended complaint (Doc. # 11), Plaintiff alleges that the program defamed him. This case is now before the Court on Defendants1 motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ second amended complaint, or in the alternative for summary judgment (Doc. # 13). In their motion (Doc. # 13), Defendants argue that Plaintiff’s claim, which is for defamation, is barred by the one year statute of limitations contained in Ohio Rev.Code § 2305.11(A).2 Plaintiff has not filed a memorandum in opposition to Defendants’ motion to dismiss or in the alternative for summary judgment.

In his initial and amended complaints (Docs. ## 1 and 2), Plaintiff alleged that he was defamed by a Television broadcast which occurred on or about October 29, 1988. Since Plaintiff’s complaint was filed on March 5, 1990, Defendants moved to dismiss the Plaintiff’s defamation claim, arguing that same was barred by the one-year statute of limitations contained in § 2305.11(A). See Doc. # 5. Plaintiff’s response was to argue that the television show had been rebroadcast within one year of the filing of the lawsuit. See Doc. # 7. Ultimately, the Court allowed Plaintiff to file a second amended complaint alleging that Defendants broadcast the television show less than one year prior to March 5, 1990. In his second amended complaint, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants rebroadcast the television program “after March 5, 1989. ” Doc. # 11 at 118.

In support of their motion, Defendants supply the affidavit of Samuel T. Suratt (“Suratt”), the archivist for CBS News.3 In his affidavit, Suratt states that the television show in question was broadcast three times: October 29, 1988, November 19, 1988, and July 8, 1989. Additionally, Suratt states that neither the program nor a portion of it was broadcast on any [1015]*1015other dates.4 It is apparent that any defamation claims that the Plaintiff might assert as a result of the first two broadcasts are barred by the statute of limitations, § 2305.11(A). Therefore, Defendants’ motion is hereby sustained to the extent that Plaintiff is attempting to assert claims arising out of the October 29, 1988, and November 8,1988, broadcasts of the program. It is equally apparent that the broadcast of July 8, 1989, occurred less than one year prior to the filing of this lawsuit on March 5, 1990.

Nevertheless, Defendants argue that Plaintiff’s defamation arising out of the July 8, 1989, broadcast is barred by the statute of limitations. In making this argument, Defendants contend that each distinct publication, or in this case broadcast, of an allegedly defamatory statement creates a separate cause of action. Here, Defendants contend that Plaintiff did not assert a defamation claim arising out of the July 8, 1989, broadcast until he filed his second amended complaint on October 17, 1989, which was more than one year after said broadcast.

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Bluebook (online)
769 F. Supp. 1012, 18 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2231, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19401, 1990 WL 303403, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burt-v-cbs-inc-ohsd-1990.