Update: Unfortunately, on June 28th, 2024, the Texas Supreme Court denied the motion for rehearing and as such TV Azteca will now return to the trial court.
On June 7th, the News/Media Alliance joined an amicus brief in the Texas Supreme Court in support of media organization TV Azteca in a defamation case. In TV Azteca v. Trevi, Mexican pop singer Gloria Trevi sued TV Azteca for defamation over reporting on previous criminal charges for which Trevi was acquitted. TV Azteca sought to dismiss the lawsuit under Texas’ anti-SLAPP law. The Texas Court of Appeals dismissed many of the claims against TV Azteca but did not dismiss one that related to a statement that did not specifically mention Trevi among a group of more than 20 TV judges, declining to apply the group libel doctrine. The brief, joined by numerous news and media organizations and led by RCFP, argues that the court erred in allowing Trevi to sue over the commentary that does not identify her and that such accurate reporting is protected by Texas’ statutory third-party allegations rule. The case is important to ensure the press may rely upon legal protections that foster free and open reporting of matters of public interest. Read more.
Charlotte McBirney is Senior Counsel and Director, Public Policy for the News/Media Alliance.
