Shibley v. Time, Inc.

321 N.E.2d 791, 40 Ohio Misc. 51, 69 Ohio Op. 2d 495, 1974 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 155
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedMay 14, 1974
DocketNo. 915,246
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 321 N.E.2d 791 (Shibley v. Time, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shibley v. Time, Inc., 321 N.E.2d 791, 40 Ohio Misc. 51, 69 Ohio Op. 2d 495, 1974 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 155 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1974).

Opinion

Fink, J.

This action comes before the court on defendants’ motions to dismiss the complaint of the plaintiff and the cross-claim of the intervenor on the ground that they have failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

The plaintiff’s amended complaint and the intervenor’s cross-claim, the material allegations of which are deemed to be true for purposes of ruling on the defendants ’ motions [52]*52for dismissal, in essence make the following claim: Plaintiff and members of the class which he represents have subscribed to publications or credit card privileges of defendants, and that said defendants have, wdthout permission, sold, rented, or otherwise permitted the names of plaintiff and the members of the class he represents to be entered into commercial use or distribution to persons not in privity with the publisher whose publication was subscribed for or the credit card company with which the member of the class had a contract.

Accepting these facts as true, the court must decide whether any relief can be granted. Under Civil Rule 12 (B)(6) of the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure, the court, after a motion under the rule by defendants must determine the sufficiency of the statement of a claim for relief on the pleadings.

Based on the above claim, the plaintiff makes the following statement in his amended complaint:

“* * * as a direct result of the wrongful sale, rental or permission of said names to be entered into commercial use or distribution, the class has suffered an invasion of privacy; and, the defendants have been unjustly enriched through such wrongful sale of plaintiff’s names and addresses.”

The intervenor asked to be made a defendant in order to assert a claim against the original defendants which is different from those asserted by plaintiff. Whereas plaintiff prayed that .the court issue an order enjoining and prohibiting defendants from selling, renting or otherwise permitting said names to be entered into commercial use or distribution to those not in privity with the subscription or credit card contract, the intervenor asks the court to allow subscribers to make an election. In later briefs filed by the plaintiff, he also indicated that an election should be allowed. In essence, the plaintiff and intervenor came to agree that the subscriber has the right of approval or rejection before his name and address, together with the fact that he subscribed to a certain magazine or used a certain credit card can be sold, rented, or otherwise used as a com-[53]*53mereial property by tbe party with -whom be bas tbe contract of subscription or credit card privileges.

Tbe relief prayed for is based on tbe assumption tbat tbe alleged wrongful acts committed by tbe defendants in tbis matter are an actionable invasion of privacy. Finding no authority to support tbe assumption tbat sucb use of a subscriber’s name as a commercial property is an actionable invasion of privacy, tbe court finds tbat it cannot grant any relief on tbe claims made by tbe plaintiff and inter-venor. Defendants’ motions under Civ. B. 12(B)(6) are well taken and are hereby granted.

In the plaintiff’s brief in opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss, plaintiff states tbat bis complaint may not fit any of tbe generally recognized definitions of invasion of privacy. Plaintiff’s language in tbe brief is as follows: “It is true that this cause of action does not fit into the orthodox framework of the traditional invasion of right of privacy case.” (Emphasis added.) Briefs of tbe defendants also point out the unusual nature of plaintiff’s claim. It appears tbat no cases have been reported which support plaintiff’s claim. Here reference should be made to two reported cases concerned with tbe sale or transfer of lists of names and addresses without tbe prior consent of those whose names are on tbe list which fail to support plaintiff’s claim of invasion of privacy.

One sucb case is N. L. R. B. v. British Auto Parts (D. C., C. D. Calif. 1967), 266 F. Supp. 368. Tbis case deals with tbe N. L. B. B.’s election rule applicable to consent elections, called tbe Excelsior rule. Under tbis rule an employer is required to file with tbe board’s regional director a list of the names and addresses of all employees eligible to vote in a representation election. Tbe regional director is then to make tbe list available to all parties to tbe representation proceeding. Tbe defendant contended tbat tbe Excelsior rule was unconstitutional as violative of tbe employees’ rights to free association and privacy. In regard to tbis contention tbe court said at page 373:

“ * * * y; jg dear tbat no sucb rights are invaded by tbe Excelsior rule # With respect to tbe employees’ ‘right [54]*54to privacy,’ as the Supreme Court pointed out in Martin v. City of Struthers, 319 U. S. 141, 143-149, 68 S. Ct. 862, 87 L. Ed. 1313, 1317-1320 (1943), those who do not welcome visits to their homes are free to turn the visitors away and will have the protection of the law in doing so.”

It is clear that the court only gave consideration to the possibility of unwanted solicitation by union organizers in workers’ homes, resulting from making employees’ names and addresses available to the union, as a possible invasion of privacy. Apparently the court did not feel that any comment was necessary regarding the notion that simply compiling a list of employees’ names and addresses and making the list available to others might be an invasion of privacy in itself.

Another such case is Lamont v. Commissioner of Motor Vehicles (D. C., S. D. N. Y. 1967), 269 F. Supp. 880, affirmed, 386 P. 2d 449. In this case, plaintiff alleged that he, and others like him, who are compelled to register their motor vehicles with the defendant, suffered invasion of privacy as a result of defendant’s actions under a state statute. The statute authorizes the defendant to allow third persons to compile a list of the registrants which can be sold, leased or used by the third person. The lists were used for solicitation through the mails, by telephone, and in person, of those on the list for purchase of merchandise. The court, at page 884, said this about plaintiff’s claim:

“* * * plaintiff proposes to stretch the constitutional dimensions of ‘privacy’ far beyond any reasonably foreseeable limits the court ought to enforce. His claim is in an area where there is no invidious discrimination, no problem of a wrong unreachable at the polls, no suggestion of an affliction confined to a relatively helpless minority.

The court found that plaintiff’s contentions were “plainly unsubstantial” and the complaint was dismissed.

The tort of invasion of privacy is defined in Ohio, as follows:

“An actionable invasion of the right of privacy is the unwarranted appropriation or exploitation of one’s personality, the publicizing of one’s private affairs with which [55]*55the public has no legitimate concern, or the wrongful intrusion into one’s private activities in such a manner as to outrage or cause mental suffering, shame or humiliation to a person of ordinary sensibilities.” Housh v. Peth (1956), 165 Ohio St. 35, 133 N. E. 2d 340.

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Bluebook (online)
321 N.E.2d 791, 40 Ohio Misc. 51, 69 Ohio Op. 2d 495, 1974 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 155, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shibley-v-time-inc-ohctcomplcuyaho-1974.