SCOTX Rejects Newspaper’s Libel Defenses Once Again

In a case closely-watched by Texas media groups, the Supreme Court of Texas has refused for the second time to dismiss a libel action against the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

In doing so, the court affirmed a lower court’s ruling that 25 articles about alleged improprieties at the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce published between February and June 2008 were not entitled to dismissal on the grounds that they were substantially true. The Caller-Times had argued that the articles accurately reflected the accusations of others on a matter of public concern. The 13^th Court of Appeals disagreed, and last week’s SCOTX decision affirmed that decision.