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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Time, Inc. v. Firestone
Citation:
424 U.S. 448 (1976)Facts
Mary Alice Firestone married Russell Firestone, heir to the Firestone tire fortune, in 1961. In 1964, they separated, and she filed for separate maintenance in Florida court. Her husband counterclaimed for divorce on grounds of extreme cruelty and adultery. After a lengthy trial, the court granted the divorce to the husband but did not explicitly state which grounds it relied upon, using ambiguous language about both parties lacking “domestication.” The court awarded Mrs. Firestone alimony of $3,000 per month. Time magazine, relying on wire service reports, a newspaper account, and information from its Miami bureau chief and a local stringer, published an item stating that Russell Firestone had been granted a divorce on grounds of “extreme cruelty and adultery.” Mrs. Firestone demanded a retraction, which Time refused, leading to her libel action. She claimed the article caused her mental pain and anguish.
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