L. B. Sullivan

E690358

L. B. Sullivan was a Montgomery, Alabama public official whose defamation lawsuit led to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which established the “actual malice” standard for libel actions involving public officials.

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Statements (34)

Predicate Object
instanceOf person
public official
allegedHarm damage to reputation
defamation of character
associatedLegalDoctrine First Amendment protection for criticism of public officials
actual malice standard
countryOfCitizenship United States of America
familyName Sullivan NERFINISHED
filedLawsuitAgainst The New York Times Company NERFINISHED
filedLawsuitInJurisdiction Alabama NERFINISHED
fullName Lester Bruce Sullivan NERFINISHED
givenName Lester NERFINISHED
impactOnLaw expanded press freedom in the United States
limited public officials’ ability to recover damages for defamation
jurisdictionOfOffice Montgomery, Alabama NERFINISHED
knownFor Defamation lawsuit against The New York Times
Plaintiff in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
lawsuitRelatedTo advertisement "Heed Their Rising Voices" NERFINISHED
civil rights movement coverage
lawsuitSubjectMatter defamation
libel
legalCaseInfluenced standards for press reporting on government conduct
subsequent U.S. defamation jurisprudence involving public officials
legalOutcomeAtSupremeCourt lost; judgment reversed by U.S. Supreme Court
legalOutcomeAtTrialLevel won judgment in Alabama state court
notableCourtCase New York Times Co. v. Sullivan NERFINISHED
notableFor central figure in landmark U.S. defamation law case
officeResponsibleFor oversight of police department in Montgomery, Alabama
public safety administration in Montgomery, Alabama
placeOfWork Montgomery, Alabama NERFINISHED
positionHeld City Commissioner of Montgomery, Alabama
Public Safety Commissioner of Montgomery, Alabama NERFINISHED
roleInEvent Plaintiff in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
timePeriodOfNotability 1960s

Referenced by (1)

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