Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. v. Hepps (1985)
- Docket
- 84-1491
- Decided
- 1985-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the state supreme court's decision violate the First Amendment? Conclusion: Yes. Relying on its reasoning in Gertz v. Robert Welch Inc. (1974), the Court reversed the state court's decision. The Gertz standard for evaluating potentially libelous speech required that "the plaintiff bear the burden of showing falsity, as well as fault, before recovering damages."