Aaron H. Coleman, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Newark Morning Ledger Co., a Corporation of New Jersey, Samuel I…

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed the jury's verdict for the Newark Morning Ledger and its officers, holding that the newspaper's articles reporting on a Senate subcommittee investigation were protected by a qualified privilege for reporting legislative proceedings and that no actionable malice was shown. A dissent argued that the privilege should not extend to secret committee sessions and that the statements went beyond fair comment.