LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — A judge has struck a complaint filed against NBC by AEG after the network alleged in an investigative report that the arena's fire safety measures were inadequate. The judge decided that AEG could not collect damages from the company as NBC was not named in the official retraction demand issued after the offending broadcast.
In an unpublished portion of the judges' opinion, the panel upheld an earlier ruling by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert L. Hess that the network was not protected from AEG's claims as the opinions expressed in the report were not constitutionally-protected presentations of opinion. Hess also concluded that AEG had presented a prima facie evidence demonstrating that that the facts presented in the broadcasts were false, Metropolitan News-Enterprise reported.
The case stems from an investigative report filed in December of 2006 in which reporters alleged that the fire protection systems at the arena were not functional when the venue first opened for business. AEG quickly demanded a retraction from the producers of the piece. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
