Thomas & LoCicero lawyers win dismissal with prejudice of defamation claims against NPR and Floodlight
Agreeing with Thomas & LoCicero attorneys, a Florida court has dismissed with prejudice two defamation claims against National Public Radio, Inc. (“NPR”) and Floodlight News.
The claims arose from a 2022 article jointly published by NPR and Floodlight News titled, “She was an ABC News producer. She also was a corporate operative.” The article covered the employment of Plaintiff Kristen Hentschel, including her overlapping roles as a freelance reporter for ABC News and as an independent contractor for a public relations firm tied to major corporate clients.
TLo lawyers argued the statements at issue were privileged, did not contain provably false statements of facts, and were not facially defamatory. The court agreed.
Specifically, the court found that the majority of the eleven challenged statements at issue were either privileged because the statements were drawn from “government records or statements” or substantially true because the statements were “based on Plaintiff’s own pleadings.” The court also found two statements were nonactionable opinion or rhetorical expression protected by the First Amendment, and that several challenged statements were not defamatory as a matter of law.
Thomas & LoCicero lawyers Carol Jean LoCicero and Linda Norbut represented NPR and Floodlight News. The case is styled Kristen Hentschel v. Jeffrey Pitts, McNicholas & Associates, Inc., National Public Radio, Inc., and Floodlight, Inc., Case No. 24-CA-008705 (Fla. 13th Cir. Ct.).
With offices in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Thomas & LoCicero is a Florida-based firm with a national practice focused on Media and Free Speech, Business Litigation, Intellectual Property & Marketing, and Data Privacy & Security. Clients benefit from the firm’s extensive knowledge and experience in defamation, complex commercial litigation, business torts, breach of contract, antitrust and unfair competition, invasion of privacy, trademark, and copyright.
