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Torts Keyed to Franklin
Wells v. Liddy
Citation:
186 F.3d 505 (4th Cir. 1999)Facts
The case revolves around the 1972 Watergate scandal. Wells worked as secretary to a DNC executive director whose phone had been tapped, and a key to her desk was found in the burglars’ possession after they were arrested. Liddy was counsel to a Nixon campaign entity, and he was convicted on multiple counts in association with the Watergate scandal. Over the next 20 years, two books were published, breeding a theory that Nixon’s legal counsel had ordered the break-in to see whether the DNC was arranging call girls for visiting dignitaries. According to the theory, Wells’ stolen key led to a drawer of a list or photos of such call girls.
Liddy became convinced that the theory was true and repeated it during at least four separate occasions: (1) a college speech, (2) a cruise ship speech, (3) a radio show talk, and (4) a website for Accuracy in Media.
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Topic Resources
Topic Outline
Defamation And Privacy TortsTopic Refresher Course
Defamation and Privacy Torts Essay Review