Carl Critic has just announced his choices of the worst Hollywood actresses of the year and Stella Starr has been named the worst of the worst.Carl's announcement,made in his weekly column titled "Random Musings by Carl Critic" and published in the local paper,claims that he believes her to have the least amount of talent in the movie industry and that she "can't act her way out of a paper bag".When Stella reads Carl's column she immediately starts to cry hysterically and then decides to sue him.Does she have a valid case of libel?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Carl's statement is an expression of his opinion, which is protected by the First Amendment. Stella would need to prove that Carl's statement was a false statement of fact, and not just an opinion, in order to have a valid case of libel. Additionally, her emotional distress is not enough to constitute injury in a libel case.

Carl Critic Has Just Announced His Choices of the Worst