Explore 16 court opinions on First Amendment Free Speech Protections. AI-powered plain English summaries, key holdings, and legal analysis.
16 recent cases analyzed in this topic area.
Appellate court affirms summary judgment for defendant in defamation case
Larkins v. Dixon, decided by Florida District Court of Appeal on April 15, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Larkins, sued the defendant, Dixon, for defamation after Dixon post...
Statements of Opinion Not Defamatory, Court Affirms
Williams v. Dixon, decided by Florida District Court of Appeal on February 10, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Williams, sued the defendant, Dixon, for defamation after Dixon...
Statements of Opinion Protected from Defamation Claims
Gerard v. Cuevas, decided by California Court of Appeal on February 5, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Gerard, sued the defendant, Cuevas, for defamation after Cuevas posted ...
Defamation claim fails: Plaintiff didn't prove actual malice
Patituce v. Werner, decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on December 22, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Patituce, sued the defendant, Werner, for defamation. Patituce alleged th...
Appellate court affirms summary judgment for defendant in defamation suit
Lewis v. Kalbhen, decided by Illinois Appellate Court on December 10, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Lewis, sued the defendant, Kalbhen, for defamation, alleging that Kalbhe...
Zoning ordinance banning sexually oriented businesses deemed unconstitutional
Richmond Hts. v. Turner, decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on November 26, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The core dispute involved whether the City of Richmond Heights' zoning ordinance, w...
Statements about child predator not actionable defamation as protected opinion
Backlund v. Stone, decided by California Court of Appeal on October 27, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Backlund, sued the defendant, Stone, for defamation after Stone publis...
Employee's Wrongful Termination Claim Dismissed Due to Legitimate Business Reason
Brooks-Buck v. Wahlstrom, decided by Virginia Supreme Court on October 16, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The core dispute in Brooks-Buck v. Wahlstrom concerned whether a former employee, ...
Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Defamation Claim Against Kari Lake
Michael Abramowitz v. Kari Lake, decided by D.C. Circuit on October 6, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The core dispute centered on whether Kari Lake's statements about the 2022 Arizona gub...
Statements on Social Media Deemed Non-Actionable Opinion
Ahn v. Parisotto, decided by California Court of Appeal on September 24, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Ahn, sued the defendant, Parisotto, for defamation after Parisotto po...
Statements of Opinion Protected from Defamation Claims
Fennessy v. Altoonian, decided by California Court of Appeal on September 19, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Fennessy, sued the defendant, Altoonian, for defamation after Al...
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Dershowitz's Defamation Suit Against CNN
Alan Dershowitz v. Cable News Network, Inc., decided by Eleventh Circuit on August 29, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. This case concerns a defamation lawsuit filed by Alan Dershowitz again...
Court Affirms Dismissal of Defamation Claim Due to Lack of Falsity and Actual Malice
Harding v. Shi, decided by Illinois Appellate Court on August 4, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Harding, sued the defendant, Shi, for defamation after Shi posted allegedly f...
Court Dismisses RICO Lawsuit Against Energy Transfer Over Climate Change Claims
Energy Transfer LP (formerly known as Energy Transfer Equity, L.P.), et al., Appellants, vs. Greenpeace International ..., decided by Minnesota Supreme Court on July 16, 2025, resulted in a defendant ...
Statements of Opinion Protected from Defamation Claims
Eshagian v. Cepeda, decided by California Court of Appeal on June 26, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Eshagian, sued the defendant, Cepeda, for defamation after Cepeda posted...
Exclusionary rule doesn't apply to knock-and-announce violations if warrant is untainted
In the Matter of Michael George Hostilo, decided by South Carolina Supreme Court on April 9, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Supreme Court reviewed the "good faith" exception to the exc...