John P. Crane v. New York World Telegram Corp.

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals held that the term “indicted” in the challenged newspaper column carries its ordinary legal meaning of a grand‑jury charge, and therefore the defendants' truth defenses, which did not address that specific allegation, were insufficient and must be stricken. The court also rejected the partial defense that relied on plaintiff’s alleged bad reputation and other misconduct because it did not tend to prove the truth of the precise libelous charge.