Explore 25 court opinions on Matters Of Public Concern. AI-powered plain English summaries, key holdings, and legal analysis.
25 recent cases analyzed in this topic area.
Appellate court affirms summary judgment in defamation case
Lisa Criswell v. Catherine Polk, decided by Texas Court of Appeals on March 12, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Lisa Criswell, sued the defendant, Catherine Polk, for defamat...
Ninth Circuit: Student's Mocking Meme Not Protected Speech
B.B. v. Capistrano Unified School District, decided by Ninth Circuit on March 10, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a student's Fi...
Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Defamation Case Due to Lack of Actual Malice
Hargreaves v. Barwell, decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on March 3, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Hargreaves, sued the defendant, Barwell, for defamation, alleging that Bar...
Appellate court affirms summary judgment in defamation case
Tiffany Marie Martinez v. Yolanda Noriega, decided by Texas Court of Appeals on February 25, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Tiffany Marie Martinez, sued the defendant, Yolan...
Appellate court affirms dismissal of defamation claim
Watson v. Calhoun, decided by Florida District Court of Appeal on February 12, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Watson, sued the defendant, Calhoun, for defamation after Calho...
Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Defamation Case Due to Lack of Actual Malice
D.E. v. R.M., decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on February 12, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, D.E., sued the defendant, R.M., for defamation, alleging R.M. made false statem...
Appellate court affirms summary judgment for defendant in defamation suit
Kara Cunningham v. Everett Trost, decided by Texas Court of Appeals on February 9, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Kara Cunningham, sued the defendant, Everett Trost, for def...
Speech Not Public Concern, First Circuit Rules in Retaliation Case
Hebert v. Donahue, decided by First Circuit on February 5, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The First Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to the defendant, a form...
Appellate Court Affirms Dismissal of Defamation Claim Due to Insufficient Evidence
Stephanie Hall v. Joseph Wyatt, decided by Texas Court of Appeals on January 23, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Stephanie Hall, sued the defendant, Joseph Wyatt, for defamat...
VDARE Foundation Loses Lawsuit Over Former Employee's Disclosures
VDARE Foundation, Inc. v. James, decided by Second Circuit on December 17, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Second Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of VDARE Foundation's l...
Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Defamation Case Over Lack of Actual Malice
B.D. v. D.G., decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on December 16, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, B.D., sued the defendant, D.G., for defamation, alleging that D.G. made false a...
Defamation claim fails for lack of actual malice
Krista v. Thompson, decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on December 10, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Krista, sued the defendant, Thompson, for defamation. Krista alleged that...
Officer's internal complaints not protected speech, court rules
Baroni v. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, decided by Second Circuit on December 2, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit brought ...
Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Defamation Case
Via v. Boyle, decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on December 1, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, Via, sued the defendant, Boyle, for defamation after Boyle posted allegedly fals...
Fourth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Defamation Claim for Lack of Specificity
Alia Al-Sabah v. World Business Lenders, LLC, decided by Fourth Circuit on November 26, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a defam...
Fourth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Defamation Claim Over Qualified Privilege
Alia Al-Sabah v. World Business Lenders, LLC, decided by Fourth Circuit on November 26, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a defam...
Former employee fails to show ADA violation in termination, preliminary injunction denied
Shannon Wayne Agofsky v. Deanna Baysore, decided by Seventh Circuit on November 26, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary...
Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Defamation Case Due to Lack of Actual Malice
O'Brien v. Anderson, decided by Ohio Court of Appeals on November 20, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The plaintiff, O'Brien, sued the defendant, Anderson, for defamation, alleging that And...
Officer's internal complaints not protected speech, Ninth Circuit rules
Hawatmeh v. City of Henderson, decided by Ninth Circuit on November 7, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a fo...
Teacher's retaliation claim revived over First Amendment concerns
Judy Howell v. Floyd County Board of Education, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on September 18, 2025, resulted in a mixed outcome. This case concerns whether the Floyd County Board of Education unl...
First Amendment retaliation claim fails for internal employee complaints
Giambalvo v. Suffolk Cnty., decided by Second Circuit on September 12, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that Suffolk County vi...
Fifth Circuit: School employee's speech not protected if not matter of public concern
Jane Doe 1 v. City View Indep Sch Dist, decided by Fifth Circuit on September 4, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a lawsuit broug...
Fourth Circuit Affirms School Board's Summary Judgment Against Teacher's Claims
Sage Blair v. Appomattox County School Board, decided by Fourth Circuit on August 7, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgme...
Officer's speech not protected by First Amendment when made as part of official duties
Carter v. City of Shreveport, decided by Fifth Circuit on July 21, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to the City of S...
Fifth Circuit Denies Preliminary Injunction in First Amendment Retaliation Case
Benavides v. Nunez, decided by Fifth Circuit on July 16, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction, holding that the...