MN Supreme Court Tosses Defamation Claim Against Victim's Group Someplace Safe
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Supreme Court has dismissed a defamation claim against an organization that helps victims of domestic violence, saying the group had no duty to investigate a woman's claims that she had been abused.
But the Supreme Court sent the case against the woman back to a lower court in Otter Tail County, saying the district court must decide whether her statements about surviving abuse are a matter of "public concern."
The woman's ex-husband sued her and Someplace Safe in 2017, alleging his reputation was harmed when she began speaking about past abuse. Someplace Safe gave her an award and published her story in a newsletter. The woman never named her ex-husband.
The Supreme Court says the man could be entitled to damages if the lower court finds the statements are of "private concern."
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