Smith v. Linn

48 Pa. D. & C.3d 339, 1988 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 231
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County
DecidedSeptember 30, 1988
Docketno. 79-10524
StatusPublished

This text of 48 Pa. D. & C.3d 339 (Smith v. Linn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Linn, 48 Pa. D. & C.3d 339, 1988 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 231 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1988).

Opinion

VOGEL, P.J.,

Plaintiff David H. Smith, individually and in his capacity as administrator of the estate of Patricia Smith, deceased, instituted suit against Lyle Stuart Inc., and several other defendants not relevant herein, seeking to recover damages for the death of plaintiffs decedent. The suit against Lyle Stuart alleges that Lyle Stuart should be held at least partially liable as the publisher of a book titled The Last Chance Diet . . . when everything else has failed, which plaintiff alleges contained misinformation that eventually led to decedent’s death.

The gravaman of plaintiffs causes of action against Lyle Stuart sound in negligence, conscious and negligent misrepresentation, strict products liability, breach of warranty and the intentional inflic[340]*340tion of emotional distress. This opinion shall discuss each of them seriatim.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Although the procedural history in this case is somewhat confusing, it appears to have been commenced by complaint under the Health Care Services Malpractice Act as a medical malpractice arbitration suit. By order of April 11, 1979, administrator Arthur S. Frankston, Esquire, transferred the claims against Lyle Stuart and Robert Linn, D.O., to this court. The record was certified to this court on June 6, 1979. Also named as defendants in this action were, as just mentioned, Robert Linn, D.O., the book’s author, Howard Rosenfeld, M.D., the decedent’s personal physician, and numerous companies allegedly involved in the production and sale of the pre-digested liquid protein mix ingested by decedent. Lyle Stuart remains the only defendant in this case, the suits against all other named defendants having been settled or dismissed.

On January 13, 1988, Lyle Stuart filed the motion for summary judgment now under consideration. Oral argument on the motion was heard before the Honorable William W. Vogel, P.J., and the Honorable S. Gerald Corso, en banc, on March 21, 1988'. Per this opinion and attached order. The motion for summary judgment against plaintiff will be granted based upon the following discussion.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Lyle Stuart initially met Robert Linn, D.O., in 1975 after Lyle Stuart read a magazine article about Dr. Linn’s liquid protein dietary program. Lyle Stuart used the diet to lose weight. Lyle Stuart, an experienced publisher, suggested to Dr. Linn that [341]*341they do- a book about the diet. An agreement was reached for Dr. Linn to author, and Lyle Stuart to publish, the book in March 1976. The book was to be geared to the general public, as opposed to a medical type text.

When the book had gone to galley proofs, Lyle Stuart, president of Lyle Stuart Inc., approached Dr. George Blackburn of Harvard Medical School, a leading researcher in the field of nutrition to review the book. Blackburn and Lyle Stuart met in June of 1976 to discuss Blackburn’s review of the book. Plaintiff contends that Blackburn’s proposals were not incorporated by Lyle Stuárt into the book. Defendant contends any proposed changes were either made, if they were important, or they were essentially semantic in nature. The book was eventually published in a form essentially similar to the galley proof reviewed by Dr. Blackburn.

Patricia Smith purchased a copy of The Last Chance Diet in January of 1977. She followed the diet under the care of her physician, Howard Rosenfeld, M.D. She had lost over 100 pounds in June of 1977 when she died from cardiac failure that plaintiff alleges was caused by decedent’s following the diet.

DISCUSSION

Plaintiffs wrongful death and survival actions are based on five independent theories of recovery. We shall first address plaintiffs claims based on theories of negligent publication and conscious and negligent misrepresentation, then consider plaintiffs strict product’s liability and breach of warranty allegations, and finally we will discuss plaintiffs claim for the intentional infliction of . emotional distress. ■

The standard for granting summary judgment in Pennsylvania is set .forth in Pa.R.C.P. 1035(b), [342]*342which reads in part as follows: “The judgment sought shall be rendered if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is' no genuine issue as to any material fact and tfiat the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Pa.R.C.P. 1035(b), 42 Pa. C.S. As stated by the Superior Court:

“This severe disposition should only be granted in cases where the right is clear and free from doubt. To determine the absence of a genuine issue of fact, the court must take the view of the evidence most favorable to th,e non-moving party, and any doubts must be resolved against the entry of the judgment.” Day v. Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft, 318 Pa. Super. 225, 231, 464 A.2d 1313, 1316 (1983), quoting Acker v. Palena, 260 Pa. Super. 214, 218-19, 393 A.2d 1230, 1232 (1978). Finally, the burden of demonstrating that no genuine issue of material fact exists and that the moving party deserves judgment as a matter of law rests on the moving party, defendant Lyle Stuart. Acker at 218-19, 393 A.2d at 1232.

At the outset, it must be noted that this court found no reported Pennsylvania cases resolving the issues surrounding negligent publication, and conscious and negligent misrepresentation at it applies to publishers. Thus, this case presents itself as one of first impression.

A review of the applicable law reveals no cases that have directly held publishers liable based on the content of a publication. The cases contrary to holding publishers liable are legion.

As far back as 1921 in Jaillet v. Cashman, 115 Misc. 383 (1921), 189 N.Y.S. 743 (1921), aff'd, 202 A.D. 805, 194 N.Y.S. 947 (1922), aff'd, 235 N.Y. 511, 139 N.E. 714 (1923), courts have been shown [343]*343an unwillingness to hold publishers liable for the contents of a publication. Jaillet involved a stockowner who brought suit against an unincorporated association that supplied its subscribers with news via a ticker service. The court held that no cause of action existed absent a breach of contract, obligation or trust or a deceit, libel or slander. Jaillet at 384, 189 N.Y.S. at 744. In Courteen Seed Co. v. Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corp., 245 N.Y. 377, 157 N.E. 272 (1927) reh’g. denied, 246 N.Y. 534, 159 N.E. 641 (1927), the court stated that “negligent words are not actionable unless they are uttered directly, with knowledge or notice that they will be acted on, to one to whom the speaker is bound by some relation of duty, arising out of public calling, contract or otherwise, to act with care if he acts at all.” Courteen at 381, 157 N.E. at 273. We point out Courteen did not involve publishers and related First Amendment concerns in holding that no liability existed where the defendant • had supplied misinformation to a third party. In a case involving a newspaper publisher’s liability, Macknown v. Illinios Publishing and Printing Co., 289 Ill. App. 59, 6 N.E.

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Bluebook (online)
48 Pa. D. & C.3d 339, 1988 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 231, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-linn-pactcomplmontgo-1988.