Appeal in Malcolm Libel Suit Denied
- Share via
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court Wednesday rejected a Berkeley psychoanalyst’s latest attempt to revive his 12-year-old libel suit against freelance writer Janet Malcolm and the New Yorker magazine.
A lawyer for Jeffrey Masson claimed that a trial judge hindered Masson’s attempt to prove that Malcolm made up quotes in an article she wrote about him in 1983. Masson charged that the story ruined his career as a scholar.
But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 1994 verdict that cleared the writer and the magazine.
A three-judge appeals panel unanimously rejected Masson’s arguments, saying the federal district judge “faithfully” followed a U.S. Supreme Court rule handed down in 1991.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
