"Dixie Chick" Deftly Defends Against Defamation Lawsuit

Zachary R. Potter is an Associate in our Jacksonville office

After criticizing former President George W. Bush, the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, learned that the marketplace can impose a heavy economic cost on those who speak publicly about controversial issues. In 2007, one of the subjects of Maines' public comments attempted to use the courts to exact a legal cost as well by suing her for defamation, false light and outrage. Fortunately for Maines, the First Amendment came to her rescue when a federal district court in Arkansas granted her motion for summary judgment.

The events underlying the case began in May 2007, when Maines watched two HBO documentaries about the case of the "West Memphis Three" (WM3), which refers to the murder prosecution of three teenagers who were accused and convicted of brutally killing three eight-year-olds in the early 1990s. Inspired by what she saw, Maines became convinced that the WM3 were innocent