Jackson v. WAFF, LLC

109 So. 3d 1123, 2012 WL 5278378, 2012 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 295
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedOctober 26, 2012
Docket2110643
StatusPublished

This text of 109 So. 3d 1123 (Jackson v. WAFF, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. WAFF, LLC, 109 So. 3d 1123, 2012 WL 5278378, 2012 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 295 (Ala. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

On Application for Rehearing

THOMAS, Judge.

The no-opinion order of affirmance of August 17, 2012, is withdrawn, and the following is substituted therefor.

In early October 2010, a victim of a shooting gave a statement naming Namath Joe Jackson as the man who had shot the victim in the hand and had stolen his cellular telephone. On October 12, 2010, a report aired on television stations operated by WAFF, LLC, and Huntsville Broadcasting Corporation, (referred to collectively as “the television stations”), indicating that the local police authorities had named Jackson as a suspect in a shooting, requesting the public’s assistance in locating Jackson, and warning the public that the authorities considered Jackson to be armed and dangerous. The television stations rebroadcast the segment at least three times on different newscasts. In addition, the television stations also broad-casted a segment reporting Jackson’s apprehension by the authorities the following day. Ultimately, the charges brought against Jackson were dismissed because the investigation revealed that he had not been in the area when the shooting occurred and therefore could not have been the gunman. The television stations failed to broadcast a report on the dismissal of the charges against Jackson, despite his request in writing that they do so.

Jackson then sued the television stations in the Colbert Circuit Court, alleging that they had defamed him by reporting that he had been involved in a crime, by reporting that he was believed to be armed and dangerous, and by failing to report on the dismissal of the charges against him.1 Jackson attached to his complaint the let[1125]*1125ter he sent to the television stations requesting either a retraction or that they report on the dismissal of the charges against him and what appears to be the record of the entire criminal case against him, which was dismissed. The television stations moved to dismiss Jackson’s complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), Ala. R. Civ. P., for failure to state a claim, or, in the alternative, to transfer the action to Madison County. The television stations attached to their motions DVD recordings of the broadcasts that formed the basis of Jackson’s action against them.

In their motions to dismiss, the television stations argued first that Jackson had not alleged that they had published any false statements about him. The television stations further argued that their broadcasts were privileged under Ala.Code 1975, § 13A-11-161, which protects as privileged any “fair and impartial report” of, among other things, “the issuance of any warrant [or] the arrest of any person for any cause .... ” In response, Jackson amended his complaint to assert that, although the initial reporting of the police search for him, the criminal charges against him, and his arrest were privileged under § 13A-11-161, the television stations were no longer entitled to the privilege because either (1) they had failed to broadcast a report on the dismissal of the charges against Jackson, proving actual malice, or (2) they had failed to report on the dismissal of the charges and thus “removed” the privilege. Jackson also responded to the television stations’ motions to dismiss and filed his own affidavit in support of that response, in which he stated that he had requested that the television stations “print a retraction” and that the television stations had failed to do so despite being provided “information which they could use to clear [Jackson’s] name,” including the notes of the investigating officers who cleared him of the charges.

After the Colbert Circuit Court entered an order transferring the action to the Madison Circuit Court in June 2011, the Madison Circuit Court granted the television stations’ motions to dismiss in February 2012. Jackson timely appealed to this court. We affirm.

On appeal, Jackson argues that the television stations lost any privilege that they may have had under § 13A-11-161 by failing to report on the dismissal of the charges against him. He further argues that § 13A-11-161 provides a basis for a cause of action for the television stations’ failure, after request, to report on the dismissal of the charges against Jackson. The television stations argue that this court need not consider any possible limit to the privilege provided in § 13A-11-161 because Jackson’s claims fail because he did not allege that the broadcasts contained false statements. Furthermore, the television stations argue, § 13A-11-161 does not provide a private cause of action for defamation based on the failure to retract or to report on the conclusion of an investigation.

We first note that the trial court dismissed the action under Rule 12(b)(6) and did not, as Jackson argues, enter a summary judgment in favor of the television stations. Although the television stations did include DVD recordings of the broadcasts at issue as exhibits to their motions to dismiss, the inclusion of those exhibits did not, in this case, convert the motions to dismiss into motions for a summary judgment. Because the exhibits provided by the television stations were “referred to in, and are central to, [Jackson’s] complaint,” the inclusion of those exhibits did not convert the motions to dismiss to motions for a summary judgment. Donoghue v. American Nat’l Ins. Co., 838 So.2d 1032, 1035-36 (Ala.2002) (embracing and quoting [1126]*1126the rule set out in Wilson v. First Union Nat’l Bank of Georgia, 716 So.2d 722, 726 (Ala.Civ.App.1998)). Our standard of review is, therefore, governed by the following:

“ ‘ “On appeal, a dismissal is not entitled to a presumption of correctness. The appropriate standard of review under Rule 12(b)(6)[, Ala. R. Civ. P.], is whether, when the allegations of the complaint are viewed most strongly in the pleader’s favor, it appears that the pleader could prove any set of circumstances that would entitle [him] to relief. In making this determination, this Court does not consider whether the plaintiff will ultimately prevail, but only whether [he] may possibly prevail. We note that a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal is proper only when it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of the claim that would entitle the plaintiff to relief.” ’ ”

Donoghue, 838 So.2d at 1036 (quoting C.B. v. Bobo, 659 So.2d 98, 104 (Ala.1995), quoting in turn Nance v. Matthews, 622 So.2d 297, 299 (Ala.1993)).

As noted above, Jackson alleged that the television stations had defamed him by broadcasting the reports of his being wanted by the police authorities, by reporting that he was considered armed and dangerous, and by broadcasting reports of his arrest.

“' “The elements of a cause of action for defamation are: 1) a false and defamatory statement concerning the plaintiff; 2) an unprivileged communication of that statement to a third party; 3) fault amounting at least to negligence; and 4) either actionability of the statement irrespective of special harm [ (per se) ] or the existence of special harm caused by the publication of the statement [(per quod) ].” ’ ”

Dudley v. Bass Anglers Sportsman Soc’y, 777 So.2d 135, 140 (Ala.Civ.App.2000) (quoting Drill Parts & Serv. Co. v. Joy Mfg. Co., 619 So.2d 1280, 1289 (Ala.1993), quoting in turn MeCaig v. Talladega Publ’g Co., 544 So.2d 875, 877 (Ala.1989)).

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Donoghue v. American Nat. Ins. Co.
838 So. 2d 1032 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 2002)
Wilson v. FIRST UNION NAT. BANK OF GEORGIA
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McCaig v. Talladega Pub. Co., Inc.
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Drill Parts and Service Co. v. Joy Mfg.
619 So. 2d 1280 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1993)
C.B. v. Bobo
659 So. 2d 98 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1995)
Wilson v. Birmingham Post Co.
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Dudley v. Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
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Bluebook (online)
109 So. 3d 1123, 2012 WL 5278378, 2012 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 295, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-waff-llc-alacivapp-2012.