Nedra Finney v. Miles Jefferson ( 2020 )


Menu:
  •                                                                                          09/23/2020
    IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
    AT NASHVILLE
    December 4, 2019 Session
    NEDRA FINNEY v. MILES JEFFERSON ET AL.
    Appeal from the Circuit Court for Williamson County
    No. 2017-125       Deanna Bell Johnson, Judge
    ___________________________________
    No. M2019-00326-COA-R3-CV
    ___________________________________
    In a letter sent to high-ranking school officials, parents claimed that a special education
    teacher had denied their child an appropriate education based on the child’s needs and
    improperly used physical restraints on the child. The parents also claimed that the
    teacher had ignored them at a school event and did not communicate with them for a
    month afterward. The teacher sued the parents for defamation. The trial court granted
    summary judgment to the parents, reasoning primarily that the parents had not published
    the letter. The court also reasoned that the statements in the letter were not defamatory
    and that the parents did not act with actual malice. We conclude that some of the
    statements in the letter were not defamatory but others were capable of being understood
    as defamatory. For those statements capable of conveying a defamatory meaning, the
    record lacked evidence of actual malice. So we affirm the grant of summary judgment.
    Tenn. R. App. P. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgment of the Circuit Court Affirmed
    W. NEAL MCBRAYER, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which FRANK G.
    CLEMENT, JR., P.J., M.S., joined. RICHARD H. DINKINS, J., not participating.
    J. Michael Clemons, Nashville, Tennessee, and Jonathan Turner, Franklin, Tennessee, for
    the appellant, Nedra Finney.
    James R. Tomkins, Nashville, Tennessee, and Dana C. McLendon, Franklin, Tennessee,
    for the appellees, Kimberly Jefferson and Miles Jefferson.
    OPINION
    I.
    Nedra Finney was a public school, special education teacher. Concerned with
    Ms. Finney’s treatment of their child, Kimberly and Miles Jefferson sent a letter to the
    school’s principal and special education supervisor, as well as the school district director.
    In the letter, the Jeffersons claimed that Ms. Finney had ignored them at a reading night
    and did not communicate with them for a month. More concerning, the Jeffersons also
    claimed that Ms. Finney violated their child’s education plan by denying the child access
    to general education and using physical restraints on the child. Ms. Finney was
    terminated months later.
    After her termination, Ms. Finney sued the Jeffersons for defamation based on
    their letter. The Jeffersons moved for summary judgment. In support of their motion, the
    Jeffersons argued that the statements in the letter were not false or defamatory as a matter
    of law. The Jeffersons also argued that there was no evidence in the record that they
    acted with actual malice or that Ms. Finney suffered damages. Ms. Finney responded
    that the statements in the letter were false and at least capable of being understood as
    defamatory, meaning the defamatory nature of the statements was a question for the jury.
    She also argued that there were genuine issues of material fact as to the questions of
    actual malice and damages.
    The trial court scheduled a hearing on the Jeffersons’ motion. Neither the
    Jeffersons nor Ms. Finney addressed the issue of publication in their summary judgment
    filings. But the trial court requested that the parties be prepared to discuss publication at
    the hearing. After the hearing, the trial court granted the Jeffersons’ motion for summary
    judgment. The court’s principal reasoning was that the Jeffersons did not “publish” the
    letter within its meaning as a legal term of art. The Jeffersons sent the letter only to
    school officials who were in the “need to know chain of command.” The trial court
    reasoned, in the alternative, that the statements in the letter were not defamatory as a
    matter of law and that Ms. Finney did not show a genuine issue of material fact as to the
    element of actual malice. The trial court did not reach the issue of damages.
    II.
    A.
    A trial court’s decision on a motion for summary judgment enjoys no presumption
    of correctness on appeal. Martin v. Norfolk S. Ry. Co., 
    271 S.W.3d 76
    , 84 (Tenn. 2008);
    Blair v. W. Town Mall, 
    130 S.W.3d 761
    , 763 (Tenn. 2004). We review the summary
    judgment decision as a question of law. 
    Martin, 271 S.W.3d at 84
    ; 
    Blair, 130 S.W.3d at 2
    763. Thus, we review the record de novo and make a fresh determination of whether the
    requirements of Rule 56 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure have been met. Rye
    v. Women’s Care Ctr. of Memphis, MPLLC, 
    477 S.W.3d 235
    , 250 (Tenn. 2015); Eadie v.
    Complete Co., 
    142 S.W.3d 288
    , 291 (Tenn. 2004); 
    Blair, 130 S.W.3d at 763
    .
    A Rule 56 motion “addresses . . . the merits of the litigation.” Brick Church
    Transmission, Inc. v. S. Pilot Ins. Co., 
    140 S.W.3d 324
    , 328 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003).
    Summary judgment is appropriate when “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact
    and . . . the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Tenn. R. Civ. P.
    56.04. In reviewing the record, we “must take the strongest legitimate view of the
    evidence in favor of the nonmoving party, allow all reasonable inferences in favor of that
    party, and discard all countervailing evidence.” Byrd v. Hall, 
    847 S.W.2d 208
    , 210-11
    (Tenn. 1993). We will uphold the trial court’s decision only if the undisputed facts show
    that the moving party was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. White v. Lawrence,
    
    975 S.W.2d 525
    , 528 (Tenn. 1998).
    Summary judgment is “particularly well-suited” for defamation claims because
    “whether the plaintiff is a public figure” and “whether a public figure has come forward
    with clear and convincing evidence that the defendant was acting with actual malice” are
    questions of law. Lewis v. NewsChannel 5 Network, L.P., 
    238 S.W.3d 270
    , 283 (Tenn.
    Ct. App. 2007). A public figure “cannot resist a . . . motion for summary judgment under
    Rule 56 by arguing that there is an issue for the jury as to malice unless he makes some
    showing, of the kind contemplated by the Rules, of facts from which malice may be
    inferred.” Trigg v. Lakeway Publishers, Inc., 
    720 S.W.2d 69
    , 74 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1986)
    (citation omitted). Thus, on review, “we must ‘determine, not whether there is material
    evidence in the record supporting [the plaintiff], but whether or not the record discloses
    clear and convincing evidence upon which a trier of fact could find actual malice.’”
    
    Lewis, 238 S.W.3d at 283
    (alteration in original) (quoting Piper v. Mize, No. M2002-
    00626-COA-R3-CV, 
    2003 WL 21338696
    , at *7 (Tenn. Ct. App. June 10, 2003)).
    B.
    In Tennessee, a plaintiff in a defamation case must prove that: “(1) a party
    published a statement; (2) with knowledge that the statement is false and defaming to the
    other; or (3) with reckless disregard for the truth of the statement or with negligence in
    failing to ascertain the truth of the statement.” Sullivan v. Baptist Mem’l Hosp., 
    995 S.W.2d 569
    , 571 (Tenn. 1999). But when the plaintiff is a public figure or public official,
    the plaintiff cannot rely on the negligence standard. Instead, a public figure or public
    official must prove that the defendant published the allegedly defamatory statement with
    “actual malice.” 
    Lewis, 238 S.W.3d at 289-90
    (citing Curtis Publ’g Co. v. Butts, 
    388 U.S. 130
    , 148 (1967); New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 
    376 U.S. 254
    , 279-80 (1964)). To
    publish a statement with “actual malice,” a defendant must act “‘with knowledge that [a
    statement] was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not.’” Funk v.
    3
    Scripps Media, Inc., 
    570 S.W.3d 205
    , 212 (Tenn. 2019) (alteration in original) (quoting
    New York Times v. 
    Sullivan, 376 U.S. at 280
    ).
    Ms. Finney makes three arguments in support of her position that the trial court
    erred in granting summary judgment to the Jeffersons on her defamation claim. First, she
    argues that the statements in the letter were at least capable of being understood as
    defamatory. As such, she argues, the question of whether the statements were actually
    understood in a defamatory sense is a question for the jury. Second, Ms. Finney argues
    that the trial court disregarded the evidence she brought forth when it concluded that the
    Jeffersons did not act with actual malice as a matter of law. She concedes that the actual
    malice standard applies because, as a public school teacher, Ms. Finney was a public
    official at the time the Jeffersons sent the letter. See Campbell v. Robinson, 
    955 S.W.2d 609
    , 611 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1997) (holding, as a matter of first impression, that public
    school teachers are public officials).1 Third, Ms. Finney argues that the trial court
    improperly raised the publication issue after the Jeffersons did not raise it. Even so, she
    argues, the Jeffersons did not successfully negate the element of publication. We begin
    with whether the trial court properly concluded that the statements in the letter were not
    defamatory as a matter of law.
    1. Defamatory Nature
    Whether a statement “was, in fact, understood by readers in its defamatory sense is
    ultimately a question for the jury.” Memphis Publ’g Co. v. Nichols, 
    569 S.W.2d 412
    , 419
    (Tenn. 1978). But, as an initial matter, whether a statement “is capable of conveying a
    defamatory meaning is a question of law,” which we review de novo. Revis v. McClean,
    
    31 S.W.3d 250
    , 253 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2000) (citing Pate v. Serv. Merch. Co., 
    959 S.W.2d 569
    , 574 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996)). A statement is incapable of conveying a defamatory
    meaning as a matter of law if “‘the statement is not reasonably capable of any defamatory
    meaning and cannot be reasonably understood in any defamatory sense.’” Aegis Scis.
    1
    In concluding that a teacher was a public official, we acknowledged a “wide split of authority
    . . . regarding the question of whether a public school teacher is a public official.” 
    Campbell, 955 S.W.2d at 610
    . Along with Tennessee, states that hold that public school teachers are public officials include
    Arizona, Connecticut, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington. See Sewell v. Brookbank, 
    581 P.2d 267
    , 270
    (Ariz. Ct. App. 1978); Kelley v. Bonney, 
    606 A.2d 693
    , 710 (Conn. 1992); Bowman v. Parma Bd. of
    Educ., 
    542 N.E.2d 663
    , 668 (Ohio Ct. App. 1988); Johnston v. Corinthian Television Corp., 
    583 P.2d 1101
    , 1102 (Okla. 1978); Corbally v. Kennewick Sch. Dist., 
    973 P.2d 1074
    , 1077 (Wash. Ct. App. 1999).
    States that hold the opposite include California, Florida, Idaho, Maine, New York, Texas, and Virginia.
    See Franklin v. Lodge 1108, Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, 
    159 Cal. Rptr. 131
    , 135 (Cal. Ct.
    App. 1979); Nodar v. Galbreath, 
    462 So. 2d 803
    , 808 (Fla. 1984); Verity v. USA Today, 
    436 P.3d 653
    ,
    663 (Idaho 2019); True v. Ladner, 
    513 A.2d 257
    , 264 (Me. 1986), superseded by statute on other
    grounds, 14 ME. REV. STAT. ANN. tit. 14 § 8111 (West, Westlaw through 2019 Reg. Sess.), as recognized
    in Grossman v. Richards, 
    722 A.2d 371
    , 373 (Me. 1999); Dec v. Auburn Enlarged Sch. Dist., 
    672 N.Y.S.2d 591
    , 593 (N.Y. App. Div. 1998); Poe v. San Antonio Express-News Corp., 
    590 S.W.2d 537
    , 540
    (Tex. Civ. App. 1979); Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Lipscomb, 
    362 S.E.2d 32
    , 37 (Va. 1987).
    4
    Corp. v. Zelenik, No. M2012-00898-COA-R3-CV, 
    2013 WL 175807
    , at *6 (Tenn. Ct.
    App. Jan. 16, 2013) (quoting Biltcliffe v. Hailey’s Harbor, Inc., No. M2003-02408-COA-
    R3-CV, 
    2005 WL 2860164
    , at *4 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 27, 2005)).
    A statement is defamatory if it “constitute[s] a serious threat to the plaintiff’s
    reputation.” 
    Revis, 31 S.W.3d at 252-53
    (citation omitted); see Quality Auto Parts Co. v.
    Bluff City Buick Co., 
    876 S.W.2d 818
    , 820 (Tenn. 1994) (“The basis for an action for
    defamation . . . is that the defamation has resulted in an injury to the person’s character
    and reputation.”). A statement is not defamatory “simply because [the plaintiff] finds the
    publication annoying, offensive or embarrassing.” 
    Revis, 31 S.W.3d at 253
    (citation
    omitted). The statement “must reasonably be construable as holding the plaintiff up to
    public hatred, contempt or ridicule.”
    Id. There must be
    “an element ‘of disgrace.’”
    Id. The statement must
    “‘tend[] so to harm the reputation of another as to lower him . . . in
    the estimation of the community or to deter third persons from associating or dealing with
    him.’” Grant v. Commercial Appeal, No. W2015-00208-COA-R3-CV, 
    2015 WL 5772524
    , at *9 (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 18, 2015) (quoting Aegis Scis. Corp., 
    2013 WL 175807
    , at *5).
    In determining “whether a statement is capable of being defamatory, it must be
    judged within the context it is made.”
    Id. at *10
    (citing 
    Revis, 31 S.W.3d at 253
    ). And
    statements “should be read as a person of ordinary intelligence would understand them in
    light of the surrounding circumstances.” 
    Revis, 31 S.W.3d at 253
    (citing 
    Pate, 959 S.W.2d at 574
    ). To that end, “courts are not bound to the plaintiff’s interpretation of the
    allegedly defamatory material, and if the words ‘do not reasonably have the meaning
    [the] plaintiff ascribes to them, the court must disregard’ [the] plaintiff’s interpretation.”
    Grant, 
    2015 WL 5772524
    , at *10 (quoting Stones River Motors, Inc. v. Mid-S. Publ’g
    Co., 
    651 S.W.2d 713
    , 719 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1983), abrogation on other grounds
    recognized in Zius v. Shelton, No. E1999-01157-COA-R3-CV, 
    2000 WL 739466
    , at *3
    (Tenn. Ct. App. June 6, 2000)).
    Calling a public figure “rude” or “extremely rude” is not defamatory as a matter of
    law. See Grubb v. Prince, 
    1986 WL 4489
    , at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. Apr. 14, 1986) (holding
    that a judge’s comments that a department of human services director “would not listen to
    him, argued with him, interrupted him and would not let him finish his sentences” were
    not defamatory as a matter of law). Here, in their letter, the Jeffersons claimed that
    Ms. Finney ignored Ms. Jefferson and her child at a reading night: “For the entire time
    we attempted to speak to [Ms. Finney], she disregarded us and worked silently on her
    computer.” Ms. Finney then also allegedly did not communicate with the Jeffersons for
    about a month.
    We agree with the trial court that these statements are not defamatory as a matter
    of law. The essence of these statements here is, at worst, “that [Ms. Finney] was
    extremely rude.” See Grubb, 
    1986 WL 4489
    , at *1.
    5
    Ms. Finney may believe that allegations of ignoring Ms. Jefferson and her child
    and not communicating with the Jeffersons for about a month are a serious threat to her
    reputation as a teacher. But that would not be a reasonable interpretation. The “‘plain
    and natural import’” of these statements is that Ms. Finney perhaps lacked social grace
    and was responsible for a slight communication breakdown. See McWhorter v. Barre,
    
    132 S.W.3d 354
    , 365 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003) (quoting Memphis Publ’g 
    Co., 569 S.W.2d at 419
    n.7). Even if Ms. Finney singled out the Jeffersons, accusations of minor lapses in
    people skills—while “annoying, offensive or embarrassing”—do not “carry with them an
    element ‘of disgrace.’” See 
    Revis, 31 S.W.3d at 253
    (citation omitted). Nor are they
    “reasonably . . . construable as holding [Ms. Finney] up to public hatred, contempt or
    ridicule.” See id.; cf. High v. Supreme Lodge of the World, Loyal Order of Moose, 
    7 N.W.2d 675
    , 678 (Minn. 1943) (in the context of defamation, per se allegations of
    “simple neglect or oversight” are not “susceptible of a meaning imputing lack of general
    professional ability, skill, and character”).2
    We reach a different conclusion with respect to other statements in the Jeffersons’
    letter. The Jeffersons claimed that, contrary to their child’s education plan, their child
    had been spending time in Ms. Finney’s classroom when the child should have been in a
    general education setting. And the Jeffersons claimed that Ms. Finney was responsible.
    Not only that, but Ms. Finney allegedly “prevented [the child’s] participation in the
    general education setting.” The Jeffersons also claimed that Ms. Finney used physical
    restraints on their child in violation of the child’s education plan. The Jeffersons
    “worr[ied]” that Ms. Finney’s “frequent, vociferous, and brutal use of intimidation tactics
    and bullying behaviors have forced others to remain silent.”
    A fair reading of these statements in context is that Ms. Finney ignored and
    purposefully violated a special needs student’s education plan in multiple respects,
    interfered with that student’s growth and educational development, and used improper
    physical discipline. These statements are capable of being understood as defamatory.
    They are reasonably construable as imputing callousness and mistreatment of special
    needs children to Ms. Finney. If a parent heard these allegations, they may not want Ms.
    Finney to teach their child. If a school heard these allegations, it may not want to employ
    2
    Although the claim that Ms. Finney ignored Ms. Jefferson and her child at a reading night was
    referenced in Ms. Finney’s termination letter that does not make the statement actionable. That fact goes
    to the element of damages, where the question is “‘whether the record contains any material evidence of
    impairment of reputation and standing in the community, personal humiliation, or mental anguish and
    suffering.’” Brown v. Christian Bros. Univ., 
    428 S.W.3d 38
    , 51 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2013) (quoting Murray
    v. Lineberry, 
    69 S.W.3d 560
    , 564 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001)). The damage a statement may have caused is
    irrelevant when it is not defamatory as a matter of law. See Coker v. Sundquist, No. 01A01-9806-BC-
    00318, 
    1998 WL 736655
    , at *4 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 23, 1998) (reasoning that “[t]hese elements of
    damage may [only] apply if a valid right of action for defamation is shown”).
    6
    Ms. Finney as a teacher. Thus, these statements are capable of “harm[ing] the reputation
    of [Ms. Finney] as to lower [her] in the estimation of the community or to deter third
    persons from associating or dealing with [her].” See Grant, 
    2015 WL 5772524
    , at *9
    (citation omitted).
    We conclude, then, that the statements concerning Ms. Finney allegedly ignoring
    the Jeffersons are not defamatory as a matter of law. But the statements accusing
    Ms. Finney of depriving the Jeffersons’ child of the general education setting and
    restraining the child are capable of being defamatory. So we consider Ms. Finney’s
    argument that there is a triable issue of fact as to whether the Jeffersons acted with actual
    malice in accusing Ms. Finney.
    2. Actual Malice
    Actual malice is a term of art in defamation cases. Masson v. New Yorker
    Magazine, Inc., 
    501 U.S. 496
    , 499 (1991). It “should not be confused with the concept of
    ‘malice’ that connotes personal ill will, hatred, or spite.” 
    Lewis, 238 S.W.3d at 300
    (citing 
    Masson, 501 U.S. at 510
    ; Tomlinson v. Kelley, 
    969 S.W.2d 402
    , 405 (Tenn. Ct.
    App. 1997)). “Actual malice” means, instead, that the defendant made the allegedly
    defamatory statements “with knowledge that they [were] false or with reckless disregard
    to their truth or falsity.” Hibdon v. Grabowski, 
    195 S.W.3d 48
    , 63 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2005)
    (citing 
    McWhorter, 132 S.W.3d at 365
    ). Reckless disregard to the truth means that the
    defendant “‘entertained serious doubts as to the truth of [the statements].’” Harte-Hanks
    Commc’ns, Inc. v. Connaughton, 
    491 U.S. 657
    , 667 (1989) (quoting St. Amant v.
    Thompson, 
    390 U.S. 727
    , 730 (1968)). This standard “is a subjective one,” requiring that
    the defendant made the statements with a “‘high degree of awareness of . . . probable
    falsity.’”
    Id. at 688
    (quoting Garrison v. Louisiana, 
    379 U.S. 64
    , 74 (1964)). In other
    words, the defendant must have acted with “purposeful avoidance of the truth.”
    Id. at 692.
    “Failing to investigate information provided by others before publishing it, even
    when a reasonably prudent person would have done so, is not sufficient by itself to
    establish reckless disregard.” 
    Lewis, 238 S.W.3d at 301
    (citing 
    Harte-Hanks, 491 U.S. at 688
    ; McCluen v. Roane Cty. Times, Inc., 
    936 S.W.2d 936
    , 941 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996)).
    To prevail on a defamation claim where the actual malice standard applies, the plaintiff
    “must prove by clear and convincing evidence that [the] defendant acted with actual
    malice.” See Jones v. State, 
    426 S.W.3d 50
    , 57 (Tenn. 2013) (citing New York Times v.
    
    Sullivan, 376 U.S. at 285-86
    ).
    Here, before sending their letter, the Jeffersons were told by their child’s general
    education teacher that Ms. Finney was holding their child in her classroom when the
    child was supposed to be in the general education setting. This general education teacher
    also said that Ms. Finney was doing so in contravention to the child’s education plan.
    7
    The school’s special education supervisor told the Jeffersons that Ms. Finney used
    physical restraint on their child. A school speech pathologist told them that Ms. Finney
    would use loud alarms to agitate students and that Ms. Finney had agitated their child by
    pinching and grabbing at the child. A former teaching assistant of Ms. Finney’s told the
    Jeffersons that she quit because Ms. Finney bullied and intimidated her.
    Ms. Finney denies the truth of what the school staff members told the Jeffersons.
    But she does not “set forth specific facts” contradicting the Jeffersons’ claim that the
    statements were made to them. See Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.06 (requiring a party opposing
    summary judgment by affidavit or otherwise to “set forth specific facts showing that
    there is a genuine issue for trial”). Instead, she argues that the statements are hearsay and
    are thus not “such facts as would be admissible in evidence” for purposes of summary
    judgment. See id.; Shipley v. Williams, 
    350 S.W.3d 527
    , 564-65 & n.12 (Tenn. 2011)
    (Koch, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part) (recognizing that evidence, including
    the substance of affidavits, filed in “support or to oppose a motion for summary judgment
    must be admissible”). We disagree.
    A statement can only be hearsay if it is “offered in evidence to prove the truth of
    the matter asserted.” Tenn. R. Evid. 801(c). If a statement is relevant even if it is not
    true, then it is not offered for its truth. See Crabtree v. Crabtree, 
    716 S.W.2d 923
    , 925
    (Tenn. Ct. App. 1986) (“‘Where, regardless of the truth or the falsity of a statement, the
    fact that it has been made is relevant, the hearsay rule does not apply . . . .’” (quoting
    Cannon v. Chadwell, 
    150 S.W.2d 710
    , 712 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1940))). One way a
    statement can be relevant even if it is not true is if it is offered to show how that
    statement affected the listener’s state of mind. See
    id. The statements by
    school staff members to the Jeffersons about Ms. Finney’s
    conduct are relevant even if they are not true. What matters for purposes of actual
    malice—a subjective standard that “focuses on the defendant’s state of mind”—is what
    the Jeffersons thought was true, even if it was not actually true. See Eisenstein v. WTVF-
    TV, No. M2015-00422-COA-R3-CV, 
    2016 WL 2605752
    , at *11 n.15 (Tenn. Ct. App.
    May 3, 2016); see also 
    Harte-Hanks, 491 U.S. at 688
    . The school staff members’
    statements to the Jeffersons are relevant to the Jeffersons’ state of mind regardless of
    their truth. So those statements are not hearsay.
    Not only are those statements not hearsay, but they establish, as a matter of law,
    that the Jeffersons did not act with actual malice. The Jeffersons stated in their affidavits
    that, based on their experience, they found the school staff members who told them about
    Ms. Finney’s alleged conduct to be honest people. They had no reason to disbelieve
    them.
    Although Ms. Finney argues that what the Jeffersons believed should not be
    considered on summary judgment, the actual malice standard in defamation cases
    8
    depends entirely on the defendant’s subjective belief. See 
    Harte-Hanks, 491 U.S. at 688
    .
    At a trial, the Jeffersons would be allowed to testify as to their understanding of the
    school staff members’ veracity. That understanding, in an affidavit at the summary
    judgment stage, would thus “be admissible in evidence.” See Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.06.
    And Ms. Finney has not responded with “specific facts showing that there is a genuine
    issue for trial” on the issue of actual malice. See
    id. In response to
    the Jeffersons’ motion for summary judgment, Ms. Finney stated
    that she followed the child’s education plan. The Jeffersons only thought she was not
    following the plan because they were wrong about matters related to the plan.
    Regardless, Ms. Finney was unaware of any concerns that the plan was not being
    followed. She would have supported the child spending more time in the general
    education setting if she knew it was an issue. Ms. Finney also stated that she did not
    restrain or otherwise physically discipline the child.
    We agree with the Jeffersons that these facts, as well as other facts Ms. Finney
    contends are in dispute, are immaterial. Assuming these facts are true, as we must on
    review of a motion for summary judgment, they tend to show only that the defamatory
    statements were false and that the Jeffersons did not investigate issues related to their
    child’s education plan before writing their letter. These facts do not bear on the issue of
    whether the Jeffersons knew their allegations against Ms. Finney were false or
    “entertained serious doubts as to the truth” of those allegations. See 
    Pate, 959 S.W.2d at 577
    .
    The record here simply does not “disclose[] clear and convincing evidence upon
    which a trier of fact could find actual malice.” See 
    Lewis, 238 S.W.3d at 283
    . So
    Ms. Finney’s claim fails as a matter of law. Because this issue is dispositive, we do not
    reach the issue of whether the Jeffersons truly “published” the letter within that term’s
    meaning in defamation cases.
    III.
    The Jeffersons’ statements alleging that Ms. Finney ignored them and did not
    communicate with them for a month are not defamatory as a matter of law. The
    Jeffersons’ accusations that Ms. Finney restrained their child and denied the child access
    to the general education setting are capable of being understood as defamatory. But, as a
    matter of law, the Jeffersons did not act with actual malice when they made those
    accusations. So we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
    _________________________________
    W. NEAL MCBRAYER, JUDGE
    9
    

Document Info

Docket Number: M2019-00326-COA-R3-CV

Judges: Judge W. Neal McBrayer

Filed Date: 9/23/2020

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 4/17/2021

Authorities (31)

Cannon v. Chadwell , 25 Tenn. App. 42 ( 1940 )

Garrison v. Louisiana , 85 S. Ct. 209 ( 1964 )

Franklin v. Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks , 159 Cal. Rptr. 131 ( 1979 )

High v. Supreme Lodge of the World , 214 Minn. 164 ( 1943 )

Crabtree v. Crabtree , 1986 Tenn. App. LEXIS 3561 ( 1986 )

Brick Church Transmission, Inc. v. Southern Pilot Insurance ... , 2003 Tenn. App. LEXIS 829 ( 2003 )

Lewis v. NewsChannel 5 Network, L.P. , 2007 Tenn. App. LEXIS 362 ( 2007 )

Sewell v. Brookbank , 119 Ariz. 422 ( 1978 )

Corbally v. Kennewick School District , 94 Wash. App. 736 ( 1999 )

Sullivan v. Baptist Memorial Hospital , 1999 Tenn. LEXIS 352 ( 1999 )

Nodar v. Galbreath , 462 So. 2d 803 ( 1984 )

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan , 84 S. Ct. 710 ( 1964 )

Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. Connaughton , 109 S. Ct. 2678 ( 1989 )

Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, Inc. , 111 S. Ct. 2419 ( 1991 )

Blair v. West Town Mall , 2004 Tenn. LEXIS 186 ( 2004 )

Eadie v. Complete Co., Inc. , 2004 Tenn. LEXIS 668 ( 2004 )

Johnston v. Corinthian Television Corp. , 1978 Okla. LEXIS 420 ( 1978 )

McWhorter v. Barre , 2003 Tenn. App. LEXIS 672 ( 2003 )

Memphis Publishing Co. v. Nichols , 1978 Tenn. LEXIS 618 ( 1978 )

Trigg v. Lakeway Publishers, Inc. , 1986 Tenn. App. LEXIS 3588 ( 1986 )

View All Authorities »