Wilson v. Savino, A--139

• Decision Date: 16 June 1952
• Docket Number: No. A--139,A--139
• Citation: 10 N.J. 11,89 A.2d 399
• Parties: WILSON v. SAVINO et al.
• Court: New Jersey Supreme Court

Page 11

10 N.J. 11

89 A.2d 399

WILSON v. SAVINO et al.

No. A--139.

Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Argued May 26, 1952.

Decided June 16, 1952.

Harold H. Fisher, Newark, argued the cause for the appellants (Richard J. Congleton, Newark, of counsel; Shanley, Congleton & Fisher, Newark, attorneys).

Harry Green Newark, argued the cause for the respondent (Samuel Heller, Passaic, attorney).

The opinion of the court was delivered by

BURLING, J.

This is a libel suit instituted by the plaintiff, William H. Wilson, in the Superior Court, Law Division, against Carmine Savino, Jr., John Savino and Guy Savino, defendants, all of whom are more or less interested in a newpaper known as the Commercial Leader and The South Bergen Review, published weekly and circulated in Bergen County, New Jersey. At the close of the trial, the trial court granted plaintiff's motion for judgment as to liability of the defendants, and subsequently the jury rendered its verdict as to damages. From the resulting judgment the defendants appealed to the Superior Court, Appellate Division. Prior to hearing there, certification was allowed by this court upon our own motion.

The plaintiff's amended complaint asserts the libelous character of three articles published in the aforesaid Commercial Leader and the South Bergen Review, the publication dates being respectively October 5, 1950, October 19, 1950 and October 26, 1950. In the pretrial order it was stipulated and agreed that the text and publication date of each article was as set forth in the amended complaint, and that there had been no request for retraction thereof. The gist of each of the articles in question, was the charge that the plaintiff, Wilson, as a member of the board of education, awarded or caused to be awarded certain school contracts to one Scalera, asserted in the articles to be Wilson's employee, and that Wilson was directly or indirectly interested in the contract awarded to Scalera, a violation of the school laws. The plaintiff's action was instituted against the three defendants, Carmine Savino, Jr., John Savino and Guy Savino. Plaintiff alleged that Carmine was the publisher and owner of the newspaper in which the articles complained of were printed, that John was the editor and that Guy was the 'author' of the articles. The defendants by their amended answer, admitted that John Savino was the editor and publisher of the newspaper and denied the allegations of the amended complaint as to Carmine's connection with the newspaper and as to Guy's authorship of the specific articles. They asserted the defense of truth and denied malice, the defense that the articles were not libelous and the defense that the articles were privileged. The pretrial order made no further limitation of the issues, but did contain defendants' assertion that John Savino was editor, publisher and owner of the newspaper, and that he wrote the articles in question. At the close of the trial, counsel for plaintiff moved for judgment in his favor as against the defendants for liability. The trial court granted judgment in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendants, Carmine Savino, Jr., individually and trading as Commercial Leader and The South Bergen Review and also trading as The Commercial Leader Printing Co., John Savino and Guy Savino, as to liability, and submitted the issue of damages to the jury. The jury returned a unanimous verdict of $6,000 in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendants as above described. Judgment was accordingly entered in favor of the plaintiff and defendants appealed therefrom to the Superior Court, Appellate Division. Prior to hearing there certification was allowed by this court on our own motion as hereinbefore noted.

The principal questions involved in this appeal include the following: (1) whether the trial court erred in granting plaintiff's motion for judgment (as to liability), in that it thereby prevented jury consideration of the issue of truth of the articles in question; (2) whether the trial court erred in granting plaintiff's motion for judgment (as to liability) against Carmine Savino, Jr., as owner and publisher, and against Guy Savino as author of the article in question; and (3) whether the trial court erred in rulings on admissibility of evidence.

The initial question involved concerns the defendants' assertion that the trial court erred in failing to submit the defense of truth to the jury. We find no error in this respect. It is obvious that the articles in question were libelous Per se. At the times of the publication of the articles, R.S. 2:160--8, N.J.S.A., provided that a member of any Board of Education '* * * who shall: * * * Be directly or indirectly concerned in any agreement or contract for the construction of * * *' any building or improvement to be made for public use or at public expense, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and R.S. 2:160--9, N.J.S.A., provided for forfeiture of office upon conviction for violations such as were contained in R.S. 2:160--8, N.J.S.A. It is settled that articles which reflect upon the integrity of a public official by charging him with the commission of a crime are libelous Per se. Rogers v. Courier Post Co., 2 N.J. 393, 399, 66 A.2d 869 (1949); Kelly v. Hoffman, 137 N.J.L. 695, 697, 61 A.2d 143, 5 A.L.R.2d 951 (E. & A.1948). The defense of truth of a publication of the nature here involved must be pleaded fully and as to every particular (see Rule 3:8--3) and must be strictly proved to be availed of. Merrey v. Guardian Printing & Pub. Co., 79 N.J.L. 177, 183, 74 A. 464 (Sup.Ct.1909), affirmed 81 N.J.L. 632, 80 A. 331 (E. & A. 1911), Hartley v. Newark Morning Ledger Co., 134 N.J.L. 217, 219--220, 46 A.2d 777 (E. & A.1946). The October 19, 1950 and October 26, 1950 publications in this case not only charged plaintiff with interest in a contract awarded to Scalera, but also charged that plaintiff awarded the contract to him. The defendants in their amended answer did not plead the truth of this particular charge and the evidence introduced at the trial showed that the entire board of education of nine members awarded the contract by unanimous action. However, in all three articles the plaintiff was charged with interest in the contract awarded to Scalera which if true would have constituted a violation by plaintiff of R.S. 2:160--8, N.J.S.A., supra, but the defendants neither strictly pleaded nor strictly proved such interest. However, defendants asserted that Scalera was an employee of plaintiff at the time the contract was awarded, that this was sufficient showing of 'interest,' and that the truth of this allegation was proved. Assuming but not deciding that employment by a board member of the individual to whom the board awards a contract would constitute 'interest' indirectly or otherwise on the part of the board member, it was not proved here. The defendant introduced evidence in two categories in this respect. First, the proofs were that Scalera had previously worked for plaintiff both as an employee and as a subcontractor. Assuming that this is true, it does not follow that, as argued by the defendants, a presumption arises that Scalera was in plaintiff's employ at the time the board of education contract was awarded to him. As hereinbefore stated, truth must be strictly proved and it is our opinion on the evidence in this case that the defendants are not entitled to the benefit of such a presumption. Defendants further argue, however, that Scalera at a public meeting at which Wilson projects were discussed failed to deny that he was a Wilson employee when a public official so asserted, and that at the same meeting Scalera stated in plaintiff's presence, and without denial by plaintiff, that he was plaintiff's foreman. Assuming the testimony in this respect to be true, it appears on settled principles of law to be of no avail to the...