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Hartmann v. Winchell

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Dec 20, 1945
269 App. Div. 1029 (N.Y. App. Div. 1945)

Opinion

December 20, 1945.

Appeal from Supreme Court, New York County.


Order affirmed, with $20 costs and disbursements, with leave to the plaintiff to serve an amended complaint separately stating and numbering the causes of action sought to be alleged in the first cause of action, within ten days after service of order with notice of entry thereof, on payment of said costs.


It has been held that the radio broadcast of a script containing defamatory matter constitutes libel ( Hryhorijiv v. Winchell, 180 Misc. 574, affd. 267 App. Div. 817). Each publication of defamatory matter constitutes a separate cause of action ( Cook v. Conners, 215 N.Y. 175). The plaintiff may have one cause of action for the defamatory matter in the radio broadcast and one for the newspaper publication. However, as I read the first cause of action alleged in the complaint, there is but one cause of action based on the radio broadcast which incorporates by reference the matter contained in the newspaper article. The newspaper article is properly pleaded at length for an understanding of the radio broadcast ( Grant v. Herald Company, 42 App. Div. 354).

Insofar as the order appealed from dismisses the first cause of action set forth in the amended complaint, it should be reversed. The dismissal of the second and third causes of action alleged in the amended complaint should be affirmed.

Dore, Cohn, Callahan and Peck, JJ., concur in decision; Martin, P.J., dissents in part in opinion.

Order affirmed, with $20 costs and disbursements, with leave to the plaintiff to serve an amended complaint separately stating and numbering the causes of action sought to be alleged in the first cause of action, within ten days after service of order with notice of entry, on payment of said costs. No opinion.


Summaries of

Hartmann v. Winchell

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Dec 20, 1945
269 App. Div. 1029 (N.Y. App. Div. 1945)
Case details for

Hartmann v. Winchell

Case Details

Full title:GEORGE W. HARTMANN, Appellant, v. WALTER WINCHELL, Respondent

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department

Date published: Dec 20, 1945

Citations

269 App. Div. 1029 (N.Y. App. Div. 1945)

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