Carol Burnett vs. National Enquirer

[Celebration]

Look to this case for precedent in a defamatory lawsuit by Berger or anyone against ABC/Disney. They obviously teach about this case in film school, as it motivated some film student to make this satire--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K46WBqCLtc

Briefly, the National Enquirer said that Carol Burnett was drunk in a restaurant, and Henry Kissinger was there. Apparently it was not the truth, and Carol sued and won. So she met the heavy burden that a public figure has when suing over defamation. And IMHO there weren't all the aggravating circumstances that there were in the ABC/Disney case, that we have all been talking about--prior denial, refusal to allow screening by people depicted, promoting it as the truth overseas, etc.

These lawsuits are not impossible to win at all. Burnett proved that. It is just that most people don't bother, and it is very expensive--plus a lot of stories are true. LOL. This case changed the Enquirer's reporting in the future. I think people should sue ABC just to keep journalists honest in the future.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Burnett

Burnett drew attention in 1981, when she sued the National Enquirer for libel after the tabloid newspaper described her alleged public drunkenness, purportedly with Henry Kissinger. Burnett was particularly sensitive to the accusations because of her parents' own alcoholism. The case was a landmark for libel cases involving celebrities, although the unprecedented $1.6 million verdict for Burnett was reduced to about $800,000 on an appeal, and eventually settled out of court.

She donated a portion of that award to the University of Hawaii saying she hoped the suit would teach aspiring journalists the dangers of defaming individuals in articles. The money was used to fund Law and Ethics courses at the school. Burnett said at the time that she didn't care if she just won "carfare," and that the lawsuit was a matter of principle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Burnett

If ABC/Disney is sued, there will be publicity, and it will put them in the same category as the Enquirer (before they tightened their reporting).