Hoffman v. Capital Cities

• Decision Date: 10 October 2000
• Docket Number: DEFENDANT-APPELLANT,99-55686,No. 99-55563,PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE,99-55563
• Citation: 255 F.3d 1180
• Parties: (9th Cir. 2001) DUSTIN HOFFMAN,, v. CAPITAL CITIES/ABC, INCORPORATED, DEFENDANT, AND L.A. MAGAZINE, INC.,
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit

Page 1180

255 F.3d 1180 (9th Cir. 2001)

DUSTIN HOFFMAN, PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, v. CAPITAL CITIES/ABC, INCORPORATED, DEFENDANT, AND L.A. MAGAZINE, INC., DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

No. 99-55563, 99-55686

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

Argued and Submitted October 10, 2000--Pasadena, California

Filed July 6, 2001

[Copyrighted Material Omitted]

Steven M. Perry, Munger, Tolles & Olson, Los Angeles, California, for the defendant-appellant.

Charles N. Shephard, Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger, Los Angeles, California, for the plaintiff-appellee.

Mark S. Lee, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Los Angeles, California, for amicus curiae Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Floyd Abrams and Landis C. Best, Cahill Gordon & Reindel, New York, New York, for amici curiae of Various Magazine and Newspaper Publishers, Broadcasters, Television Syndicators, and Media Associations.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Dickran M. Tevrizian, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. CV-97-03638-DT

Before: Robert Boochever, A. Wallace Tashima, and Richard C. Tallman, Circuit Judges.

Boochever, Circuit Judge

OPINION

In 1982, actor Dustin Hoffman starred in the movie"Tootsie," playing a male actor who dresses as a woman to get a part on a television soap opera. One memorable still photograph from the movie showed Hoffman in character in a red long-sleeved sequined evening dress and high heels, posing in front of an American flag. The still carried the text, "What do you get when you cross a hopelessly straight, starving actor with a dynamite red sequined dress? You get America's hottest new actress."

In March 1997, Los Angeles Magazine ("LAM") published the "Fabulous Hollywood Issue!" An article from this issue entitled "Grand Illusions" used computer technology to alter famous film stills to make it appear that the actors were wearing Spring 1997 fashions. The sixteen familiar scenes included movies and actors such as "North by Northwest" (Cary Grant), "Saturday Night Fever" (John Travolta), "Rear Window" (Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart), "Gone with the Wind" (Vivian Leigh and Hattie McDaniel), "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley), "The Seven Year Itch" (Marilyn Monroe), "Thelma and Louise" (Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis), and even "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (with the Creature in Nike shoes). The final shot was the "Tootsie" still. The American flag and Hoffman's head remained as they appeared in the original, but Hoffman's body and his long-sleeved red sequined dress were replaced by the body of a male model in the same pose, wearing a spaghetti-strapped, cream-colored, silk evening dress and high-heeled sandals. LAM omitted the original caption. The text on the page identified the still as from the movie "Tootsie," and read, "Dustin Hoffman isn't a drag in a butter-colored silk gown by Richard Tyler and Ralph Lauren heels."

LAM did not ask Hoffman for permission to publish the altered photograph. Nor did LAM secure permission from Columbia Pictures, the copyright holder. In April 1997, Hoffman filed a complaint in California state court against LAM's parent company, Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. (now ABC, Inc. or "ABC"). The complaint alleged that LAM's publication of the altered photograph misappropriated Hoffman's name and likeness in violation of (1) the California common law right of publicity; (2) the California statutory right of publicity, Civil Code §§ 3344; (3) the California unfair competition statute, Business and Professions Code §§ 17200; and (4) the federal Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1125(a).

ABC removed the case to federal court. Hoffman added LAM as a defendant. After a bench trial, the district court found for Hoffman and against LAM on all of Hoffman's claims, rejecting LAM's defense that its use of the photograph was protected by the First Amendment. The court awarded Hoffman $1,500,000 in compensatory damages, and held that Hoffman was entitled to punitive damages as well. Hoffman v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., 33 F. Supp. 2d 867 (C.D. Cal. 1999). After a hearing, the court awarded Hoffman $1,500,000 in punitive damages. It also held that ABC was not liable for any of LAM's actions.

Hoffman moved for an award of $415,755.41 in attorney fees. The district court granted the motion, but reduced the amount to $269,528.50.

In these appeals, LAM appeals the district court's judgment in Hoffman's favor, and the court's award of attorney fees.

ANALYSIS

California recognizes, in its common law and its statutes, "the right of a person whose identity has commercial value--most often a celebrity--to control the commercial use of that identity." Waits v. Frito-Lay, Inc., 978 F.2d 1093, 1098 (9th Cir. 1992) (as amended). Hoffman claims that LAM violated his state right of publicity by appropriating his name and likeness. He also claims that LAM violated his rights under the federal Lanham Act.

LAM replies that its challenged use of the "Tootsie" photo is protected under the First Amendment. We evaluate this defense aware of "the careful balance that courts have gradually constructed between the right of publicity and the First Amendment and federal intellectual property laws. " Landham v. Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc., 227 F.3d 619, 626 (6th Cir. 2000).

LAM argues that the "Grand Illusions" article and the altered "Tootsie" photograph contained therein are an expression of editorial opinion, entitled to protection under the First Amendment. Hoffman, a public figure,¹ must therefore show that LAM, a media defendant, acted with "actual malice," that is, with knowledge that the photograph was false, or with reckless disregard for its falsity. See New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 279-80 (1964). Because Hoffman did not produce clear and convincing evidence that LAM acted with actual malice, LAM contends that all Hoffman's claims are barred by the First Amendment.

The district court rejected this argument. First, it concluded that the magazine article was commercial speech not entitled to constitutional protection: "[t]he First Amendment does not protect the exploitative commercial use of Mr. Hoffman's name and likeness." Hoffman, 33 F. Supp. 2d at 874. Second, the court found that LAM acted with actual malice, and "the First Amendment does not protect knowingly false speech." Id. at 875.²

Commercial Speech

The district court concluded that LAM's alteration of the "Tootsie" photograph was an "exploitative commercial" use not entitled to First Amendment protection. We disagree.

"Commercial speech" has special meaning in the First Amendment context. Although the boundary between commercial and noncommercial speech has yet to be clearly delineated, the "core notion of commercial speech" is that it "does no more than propose a commercial transaction." Bolger v. Youngs Drug Prods. Corp., 463 U.S. 60, 66 (1983) (quotations omitted). Such speech is entitled to a measure of First Amendment protection. See, e.g., Greater New Orleans Broad. Ass'n, Inc. v. United States, 527 U.S. 173, 183 (1999) (setting out four-part test to evaluate constitutionality of governmental regulation of "speech that is commercial in nature"). Commercial messages, however, do not receive the same level of constitutional protection as other types of protected expression. See 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island, 517 U.S. 484, 498 (1996). False or misleading commercial speech is not protected. See Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc., 515 U.S. 618, 623-24 (1995) (commercial speech receives limited amount of protection compared to speech at core of First Amendment and may freely be regulated if it is misleading). When speech is properly classified as commercial, a public figure plaintiff does not have to show that the speaker acted with actual malice. See Procter & Gamble Co. v. Amway Corp., 242 F.3d 539, 556 (5th Cir. 2001) ("Supreme Court precedent prevents us from importing the actual-malice standard into cases involving false commercial speech.").

In many right of publicity cases, the question of actual malice does not arise, because the challenged use of the celebrity's identity occurs in an advertisement that"does no more that propose a commercial transaction" and is clearly commercial speech. See, e.g., Newcombe v. Adolph Coors Co., 157 F.3d 686, 691 (9th Cir. 1998) (use of pitcher's image in printed beer advertisement); Abdul-Jabbar v. Gen. Motors Corp., 85 F.3d 407, 409 (9th Cir. 1996) (use of basketball star's former name in television car commercial); Waits, 978 F.2d at 1097-98 (use of imitation of singer's voice in radio snack-food commercial); White v. Samsung Elecs. Am., Inc., 971 F.2d 1395, 1396 (9th Cir. 1992) (as amended) (use of game-show hostess's "identity" in print advertisements for electronic products); Midler v. Ford Motor Co. , 849 F.2d 460, 461 (9th Cir. 1988) (use in television car commercial of "sound-alike" rendition of song singer had recorded). In all these cases, the defendant used an aspect of the celebrity's identity entirely and directly for the purpose of selling a product. Such uses do not implicate the First Amendment's protection of expressions of editorial opinion. Cf. White, 971 F.2d at 1401 (advertisement in which "spoof" is entirely subservient to primary message to "buy" identified product not protected by First Amendment).

Hoffman points out that the body double in the "Tootsie" photograph was identified as wearing Ralph Lauren shoes and that there was a Ralph Lauren advertisement (which does not feature shoes) elsewhere in the magazine. (Insofar as the record shows, Richard Tyler, the designer of the gown, had never advertised in LAM.) Hoffman also points to the"Shopper's Guide" in the back of the magazine, which provided stores and prices for the shoes and gown.

These facts are not enough to make the "Tootsie" photograph pure commercial speech. If the altered photograph had appeared in a Ralph Lauren advertisement, then we would be...