Jerry Falwell

Jerry Lamon Falwell (born on August 11, 1933) is an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, founder of the Moral Majority & Liberty University, and a prominent Conservative activist. His parents were Carey and Helen Falwell, and he has a fraternal twin brother, Gene Falwell.

Hustler vs. Falwell

In November 1983, Larry Flynt's sex magazine Hustler carried a parody of a Campari adhttp://www.hfac.uh.edu/comm/media_libel/cases-conflicts/print/falwell.html, featuring a fake interview with Falwell in which he admits that his "first time" was incest with his mother in an outhouse while drunk. Falwell sued for compensation, alleging invasion of privacy, libel, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A jury rejected the invasion of privacy and libel claims, holding that the parody could not have reasonably been taken to describe true events, but ruled in favor of Falwell on the emotional distress claim. This was upheld on appeal. Flynt then appealed to the Supreme Court and won a unanimous decision on February 24, 1988 (Hustler Magazine, Inc. et al. v. Jerry Falwell, 485 U.S. 46); the ruling held that public figures cannot evade First Amendment protections by attempting to recover damages based on emotional distress suffered from parodies.

Related Topics:
1983 - Larry Flynt - Hustler - Supreme Court - February 24 - 1988 - Hustler Magazine, Inc. et al. v. Jerry Falwell, 485 U.S. 46

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