Cobb v. Time, Inc

Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit·Decided January 30, 2002·No. 00-5159·Published

Opinion

5(&200(1'(' )25 )8//7(;7 38%/,&$7,21 3XUVXDQW WR 6L[WK &LUFXLW 5XOH 

(/(&7521,& &,7$7,21  )(' $SS 3 WK &LU )LOH 1DPH DS

81,7('67$7(6&28572)$33($/6 )257+(6,;7+&,5&8,7 BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

5$1'$// &5$,* &2%%DND ; 5DQGDOOm7H[l&REE  3ODLQWLII$SSHOOHH   1R  Y !   7,0( ,1&GED6SRUWV  ,OOXVWUDWHG  'HIHQGDQW$SSHOODQW   1 $SSHDOIURPWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV'LVWULFW&RXUW IRUWKH0LGGOH'LVWULFWRI7HQQHVVHHDW1DVKYLOOH 1Rn5REHUW/(FKROV&KLHI'LVWULFWsXGJH $UJXHG'HFHPEHU 'HFLGHGDQG)LOHGsDQXDU\ %HIRUH.(11('<0225(DQG&2/(&LUFXLWsXGJHV BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB &2816(/ $5*8('  )OR\G $EUDPV &$+,// *25'21 5(,1'(/ 1HZ

  &REEY7LPH,QF 1R

$SSHOODQW*HRUJH%RFKHWWR'DYLGs3HUOPDQ%2&+(772 /(17=3KLODGHOSKLD3HQQV\OYDQLDIRU$SSHOOHH/DXUD +DQGPDQ'$9,6:5,*+7 75(0$,1(:DVKLQJWRQ '&IRU$PLFL&XULDH BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB 23,1,21 BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB .(11('<&LUFXLWsXGJH3ODLQWLII5DQGDOOm7H[l&REE D IRUPHU SURIHVVLRQDO ER[HU DQG FKDUDFWHU DFWRU VXHG GHIHQGDQW7LPH,QFGED6SRUWV,OOXVWUDWHG m6,l IRUOLEHO 7KHDFWLRQDURVHRXWRIDQDUWLFOHWKDWDSSHDUHGLQWKH2FWREHU   HGLWLRQ RI WKH SXEOLFDWLRQ 6SRUWV ,OOXVWUDWHG D SURPLQHQW QDWLRQDO VSRUWV PDJD]LQH  7KH DUWLFOH HQWLWOHG m7KH)L[:DV,QlGHDOWZLWKDQXPEHURISURIHVVLRQDOER[LQJ PDWFKHVLQYROYLQJER[LQJSURPRWHU5LFNm(OYLVl3DUNHULQ ZKLFKWKHRXWFRPHVZHUHDOOHJHGO\SUHDUUDQJHG7KHSULPDU\ H[DPSOHZDVDPDWFKLQYROYLQJ&REEDQGDER[HUQDPHG3DXO m6RQQ\l%DUFKZKLFKWRRNSODFHRQ6HSWHPEHU7KH DUWLFOHSXEOLVKHG%DUFKjVDFFRXQWRIWKHHYHQWVVXUURXQGLQJ WKHPDWFKLQFOXGLQJFODLPVWKDW%DUFKDQG&REEKDGDJUHHG WKDW%DUFKZRXOGmWDNHDGLYHlLQWKHILUVWURXQGWKDW&REE KDGGLVFXVVHGZLWK%DUFKKRZWKLVZRXOGSOD\RXWLQWKHULQJ DQGWKDW3DUNHU&REEDQG%DUFKKDGXVHGFRFDLQHWRJHWKHU WKHQLJKWEHIRUHWKHPDWFKDQGDJDLQVKRUWO\DIWHUWKHPDWFK $IWHUWULDOWKHMXU\UHWXUQHGDYHUGLFWLQIDYRURI&REEIRU PLOOLRQLQFRPSHQVDWRU\GDPDJHVDQGPLOOLRQLQ SXQLWLYHGDPDJHV'HIHQGDQWILOHGD5HQHZHG0RWLRQIRU sXGJPHQWDVD0DWWHURI/DZRULQWKH$OWHUQDWLYHIRUD1HZ 7ULDORU5HPLWWLWXUZKLFKZDVGHQLHGE\WKHGLVWULFWFRXUW 'HIHQGDQW DSSHDOV  )RU WKH UHDVRQV VHW IRUWK EHORZ ZH UHYHUVHWKHMXGJPHQWRIWKHGLVWULFWFRXUWDQGUHPDQGIRUHQWU\ RIMXGJPHQWLQIDYRURIGHIHQGDQW ,3URFHGXUDO+LVWRU\ ,Q6SRUWV,OOXVWUDWHGSXEOLVKHGDQDUWLFOHLPSOLFDWLQJ &REE DV D SDUWLFLSDQW LQ D mIL[HGl RU mDUUDQJHGl  ER[LQJ PDWFK7KHDUWLFOHDOVRVXJJHVWHGWKDW&REEKDGXVHGFRFDLQH 1R &REEY7LPH,QF 

ZLWK KLV RSSRQHQW 6RQQ\ %DUFK DQG WKH SURPRWHU 5LFN 3DUNHU7KHDUWLFOHZDVEDVHGODUJHO\RQVWDWHPHQWVJLYHQE\ %DUFK WR 6, UHSRUWHUV  &REE VXHG 6, IRU OLEHO  6, ILOHG D PRWLRQIRUVXPPDU\MXGJPHQWZKLFKZDVJUDQWHGLQSDUWDQG GHQLHGLQSDUW7KHFRXUWUXOHGWKDW6,FRXOGQRWEHKHOGOLDEOH IRUFHUWDLQVWDWHPHQWVFRQWDLQHGLQWKHDUWLFOHEHFDXVHWKHUH ZDVQRHYLGHQFHRImDFWXDOPDOLFHlDVUHTXLUHGLQDSXEOLF ILJXUHOLEHOFDVHZLWKUHVSHFWWRWKRVHVWDWHPHQWV)LUVWWKH FRXUWKHOGWKDW6,FRXOGQRWEHOLDEOHIRUWKHVWDWHPHQWWKDWWKH ILJKWKDGEHHQIL[HGEHFDXVH6,SRVVHVVHGHYLGHQFHRWKHU WKDQ%DUFKjVDFFRXQWWKDWFRUURERUDWHGWKDWVWDWHPHQW1H[W WKH FRXUW GHWHUPLQHG WKDW &REEjV FODLP PXVW IDLO DV WR D VWDWHPHQWLQWKHDUWLFOHWKDW&REEKDGWROG%DUFKSULRUWRWKH ILJKWWKDWKHKDGDVKRXOGHULQMXU\EHFDXVHWKDWVWDWHPHQWZDV VXEVWDQWLDOO\WUXH&REEKDGDUJXHGWRWKHGLVWULFWFRXUWWKDW KHGLGQRWLQIDFWKDYHVXFKDQLQMXU\EXWUDWKHUKDGDULE LQMXU\7KHFRXUWLQJUDQWLQJVXPPDU\MXGJPHQWDVWRWKLV VWDWHPHQWQRWHGm7KHSRLQWLVWKDW>&REE@HQWHUHGDER[LQJ PDWFK NQRZLQJ WKDW KH KDG DQ LQMXU\ ZKLFK ZRXOG OLNHO\ LPSDLUKLVDELOLW\WRER[l s$DW )LQDOO\WKHFRXUW JUDQWHGVXPPDU\MXGJPHQWDVWRDQLPSOLFDWLRQLQWKHDUWLFOH WKDW&REEKDGWHVWHGSRVLWLYHIRUFRFDLQHDIWHUWKHILJKW&REE FRQFHGHG WKDW KH ZDV VXVSHQGHG IRU WHVWLQJ SRVLWLYH IRU PDULMXDQD XVH EXW GHQLHG WKDW KH HYHU WHVWHG SRVLWLYH IRU FRFDLQHXVH7KHZRUGLQJRIWKHDUWLFOHKRZHYHUPDGHLW VHHP DV WKRXJK &REEjV SRVLWLYH WHVW ZDV IRU FRFDLQH XVH 1RQHWKHOHVV WKH FRXUW FRQFOXGHG WKDW WKH LPSOLFDWLRQ ZDV VXEVWDQWLDOO\WUXHEHFDXVHWKHmVWLQJlRIWKHVWDWHPHQWZDV mWKDW D SURIHVVLRQDO ER[HU LQJHVWHG DQ LOOHJDO GUXJ SULRU WR ILJKWLQJDQGWKDWVXFKGUXJZRXOGOLNHO\DIIHFWKLVDELOLW\WR ER[l s$DW 7KHFRXUWGHQLHGVXPPDU\MXGJPHQWKRZHYHUDVWRWZR VWDWHPHQWV LQ WKH DUWLFOH  )LUVW WKDW &REE KDG NQRZLQJO\ SDUWLFLSDWHGLQWKHIL[HGILJKW VLQFH%DUFKFRXOGKDYHDJUHHG WRmWDNHDGLYHlZLWKRXW&REEjVNQRZOHGJHRUSDUWLFLSDWLRQLQ WKHVFKHPH 6HFRQGWKDW&REEKDGXVHGFRFDLQHZLWK%DUFK DIWHUWKHILJKW7KHMXU\ZDVSHUPLWWHGWRFRQVLGHU&REEjV OLEHOFODLPLQVRIDUDVLWZDVEDVHGRQWKHVHWZRVWDWHPHQWV DQGUHWXUQHGDYHUGLFWLQ&REEjVIDYRU7KHWULDOFRXUWWKHQ  &REEY7LPH,QF 1R 1R &REEY7LPH,QF 

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Cobb v. Time, Inc, (6th Cir. 2002).

Cobb v. Time, Inc (Cobb v. Time, Inc) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.