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DAVIDE M. CARBONE,
Plaintiff
C I V I L ACTION NO.
1:16-CV-1720-ODE
CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC.,
Defendant
ORDER
C u r i a e G e o r g i a P r e s s A s s o c i a t i o n , G e o r g i a F i r s t Amendment F o u n d a t i o n ,
a l t e r n a t i v e l y t o d i s m i s s i s DENIED.
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I. BACKGROUND
24] .
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o r , i n t h e a l t e r n a t i v e , t o d i s m i s s f o r f a i l u r e t o s t a t e a c l a i m [Doc.
[Docs. 2 0 , 2 0 - 1 ] . Were t h i s C o u r t t o d e t e r m i n e t h a t t h e a n t i - S L A P P
p r o v i s i o n a p p l i e s . P l a i n t i f f has r e q u e s t e d l e a v e t o c o n d u c t d i s c o v e r y
C o n s t i t u t i o n o f t h e State o f Georgia i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h an i s s u e o f
move t o strike the claim, "unless the court determines that the
n o n m o v i n g p a r t y has e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t t h e r e i s a p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t t h e
public figure p l a i n t i f f , t h e n t h e n o n m o v i n g p a r t y s h a l l be e n t i t l e d
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1 1 . 1 ( b ) (2) .
i m p e r m i s s i b l y seeks r e t r o a c t i v e p r o t e c t i o n f r o m t h e s t a t u t e [Doc. 14
a d d r e s s t h e o t h e r t w o g r o u n d s f o r d e n y i n g CNN's m o t i o n t o s t r i k e .
A. L e g a l Standard
d i f f e r e n t p r o v i s i o n o f S e c t i o n 9-11-11.1, t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t o f
1357-58 (quoting Hanna, 380 U.S. a t 465). " ' I f the federal
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b r o a d t o c o v e r t h e i s s u e o r does n o t d i r e c t l y c o n f l i c t w i t h t h e state
B. Discussion
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the claim. Id^; see a l s o Watts v. F l a . I n t ' l Univ., 495 F.Sd 1289,
Not only does Rule 12(b) (6) address itself to the pleading
c a s e s w i t h a F i r s t Amendment n e x u s . L i k e Rule 1 2 ( b ) ( 6 ) , S e c t i o n 9-
prevailing.
b u t i m p o s i n g an a d d i t i o n a l r e q u i r e m e n t on t h e p l a i n t i f f a t t h i s stage
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requirement.
'enforced [ . ] ' " Shadv Grove, 559 U.S. at 407 (quoting Sibbach v.
326 U.S. 438, 446 (1946)). The Supreme C o u r t notes that i t has
t h e i r enforcement. R u l e 1 2 ( b ) (6) t h u s c l e a r s t h e s e c o n d s t e p i n t h e
split. See Travelers Cas. I n s . Co. v. Hirsh, 831 F.3d 1179, 1183
G e o r g i a ' s r e v i s e d anti-SLAPP s t a t u t e m i r r o r s i n a l l m a t e r i a l r e s p e c t s
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precedents.
SLAPP s t a t u t e d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e r e was no d i r e c t c o n f l i c t w i t h t h e
a s t a t e a n d f e d e r a l l a w may p o t e n t i a l l y be a p p l i e d i n s u c c e s s i o n , b u t
c h a l l e n g e d t h e wisdom o f t h e N i n t h C i r c u i t ' s c o n t i n u e d t o l e r a n c e f o r
followed it.").
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n o t e s t h a t w h i l e b o t h t h e a n t i - S L A P P s t a t u t e a n d R u l e 12 " e s t a b l i s h [ ]
Id. a t 1334.
d i s m i s s a l and n o t t h e s p e c i a l anti-SLAPP m o t i o n t o s t r i k e p r o v i s i o n .
d i s m i s s f o r f a i l u r e t o s t a t e a c l a i m u p o n w h i c h r e l i e f c a n be g r a n t e d
"While a c o m p l a i n t a t t a c k e d by a Rule 1 2 ( b ) ( 6 ) m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s
( c i t a t i o n s a n d i n t e r n a l q u o t a t i o n marks o m i t t e d ) . More s p e c i f i c a l l y ,
c o n t e n t t h a t a l l o w s t h e c o u r t t o draw t h e r e a s o n a b l e i n f e r e n c e that
a t 678 ( c i t a t i o n s a n d i n t e r n a l q u o t a t i o n marks o m i t t e d ) . To s u r v i v e
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s t a t e m e n t about h i m s e l f ; (2) an u n p r i v i l e g e d c o m m u n i c a t i o n t o a t h i r d
d e f a m a t i o n p e r se.
The r e a l c r u x o f t h e d i s p u t e b e t w e e n t h e p a r t i e s l i e s w i t h t h e
t h a t r e p o r t i n g a b o u t and p e r t a i n i n g t o P l a i n t i f f h i m s e l f , a n d (3) c a n
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B. False Reporting
u n d e r s t a n d i t . ' " Lucas v . Cranshaw, 289 Ga. App. 510, 513 (Ga. Ct.
o r a r r a n g e d so as t o c o n v e y a f a l s e and d e f a m a t o r y meaning" g i v e r i s e
Id. a t 512-13.
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l i a b i l i t y any statements t h a t . . . a r e c l e a r l y r e c o g n i z a b l e as p u r e
c a n n o t be p r o v e n t r u e o r f a l s e f o r purposes o f a defamation c l a i m .
v i e w e r an i n a c c u r a t e p e r c e p t i o n . Plaintiff f u r t h e r a l l e g e s t h a t CNN
a t t e n t i o n t o t h e i n a c c u r a c y b a s e d upon p u b l i c a t i o n s b y t h e STS i t s e l f
[Id. at 32].
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CNN c o u n t e r s b y p o i n t i n g t o t h e r a w d a t a , t h a t b e t w e e n 2011 a n d
n o n - c o m p a r a b l e f i g u r e i n a way t h a t m i s l e d i t s v i e w e r s . Drawing a l l
f a l s i t y o f CNN's numbers f o r p u r p o s e s o f a m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s .
t h a t a n i n v e s t i g a t i o n was o n - g o i n g .
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investigation, i t w o u l d be d i f f i c u l t t o a p p l y a p r i v i l e g e t o a non-
f u r t h e r b e l o w a n d as e v i d e n c e d b y CNN's c o n t i n u e d p u b l i c a t i o n about
an o f f i c i a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n when t h e AHCA h a d a f f i r m a t i v e l y s t a t e d t h a t
d e f a m a t o r y s t a t e m e n t " i s c a p a b l e o f t w o m e a n i n g s , one o f w h i c h w o u l d
be l i b e l o u s a n d a c t i o n a b l e and t h e o t h e r n o t , i t i s f o r t h e j u r y [ a n d
publication . . . w h i c h o f t h e t w o meanings w o u l d be a t t r i b u t e d t o i t
C. About P l a i n t i f f
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Plaintiff a l l e g e s t h a t he was w e l l - k n o w n i n h i s c o m m u n i t y , h i s
i t s administration and f o r t h e h i r i n g o f t h e p e d i a t r i c s u r g e o n a t t h e
Mary's a n d c o n s i d e r t h e c u l p a b i l i t y o f t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n [Compl.,
Doc. 1 a t 1 5 ] .
l i t e r a l l y making P l a i n t i f f t h e f a c e o f t h a t c u l p a b l e administration.
t o be a b o u t p l a i n t i f f b e c a u s e he was c o - o w n e r o f t h e named g a r a g e ,
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D. With A c t u a l M a l i c e
Ga. a t 20-21 ( 2 ) ) .
Broad., 275 Ga. App. 701, 703 (1) (Ga. 2005)). Nevertheless,
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defamation.
met t h e p l e a d i n g s t a n d a r d t o m a i n t a i n a c l a i m f o r d e f a m a t i o n under
Georgia law.
IV. CONCLUSION
DISMISSED AS MOOT.
SO ORDERED, 2017 .
ORINDA D. EVANS
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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