Reporters not covered by petition protection laws
February 1, 2010
Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled on February 1, that reporters are not protected by a law that protects citizen who petition the government against lawsuits. Fredda Hollander, the reporter in question, was not protected because she was acting as a paid journalist and not a citizen activist and, therefore, was supposed to be nuetral and objective. The ruling was prompted by Hollander's request to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by Steven Fustolo a developer in Boston's North End.[1]
Footnotes
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Massachusetts • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Massachusetts
State courts:
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court • Massachusetts Appeals Court • Massachusetts Superior Courts • Massachusetts District Courts • Massachusetts Housing Courts • Massachusetts Juvenile Courts • Massachusetts Land Courts • Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts • Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts
State resources:
Courts in Massachusetts • Massachusetts judicial elections • Judicial selection in Massachusetts
