Can I sue a news company for ruining my good name by releasingnews of my arrest prior to a conviction whichcaused me to lose my job?
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Can I sue a news company for ruining my good name by releasingnews of my arrest prior to a conviction whichcaused me to lose my job?
I was arrested for grand theft but not yet found guilty. However, because of a newscast I lost my job for being “unapproachable” after the newscast was released. Would it be possible or even a smart idea to sue the news company for ruining my good name?
Asked on November 26, 2011 under Personal Injury, Florida
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Unfortunately for you, the media has very broad immunity from being sued for releasing or publishing publically available, newsworthy information. News of your arrest was public information--it could be obtained from public sources--and crime is generally considered newsworthy. It is also generally difficult to recover for defamation if the information is true, and difficult or impossible to recover from anyone for repeating information available from other sources. It is therefore very unlikely you could successfully sue the news company.
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