2020 -- S 2750

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LC005015

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE – PROCEDURE GENERALLY

     

     Introduced By: Senators Cano, Crowley, Quezada, and Metts

     Date Introduced: March 04, 2020

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Title 9 of the General Laws entitled "COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE

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- PROCEDURE GENERALLY" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 9-34

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THE STOP GUILT BY ACCUSATION ACT

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     9-34-1. Short title.

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     This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “The Stop Guilt By Accusation Act.”

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     9-34-2. Legislative findings.

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     The general assembly hereby finds and declares that:

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     (1) The First Amendment of the United States Constitution asserts that the government

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“shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press”;

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     (2) Freedom of the press in the United States is not absolute and is subject to certain

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restrictions, such as defamation law;

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     (3) The state has a compelling interest to compel the press to promote the objective truth

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for the sake of the viability of democracy and for the safety, health, and welfare of our communities

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and in keeping with the spirit of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and to stop

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the press from serving as a slander machine;

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     (4) There has been a growing trend for individuals to abuse process and maliciously

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prosecute someone they disagree with ideologically by filing spurious cases and controversies in

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various government venues for ulterior motives, knowing that certain segments of the media that

 

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align with their ideology would serve as an accomplice by engaging in a form of defamation in-

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kind by selectively reporting on the facts of the original case but not on the actual outcome in

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actions where the petitioner received less relief than originally sought, which cultivates an unjust

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prejudicial conviction in the court of public opinion causing the accused to be shunned, avoided,

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and marginalized and the media outlet guilty of defamation in-kind to the point that it unduly

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decreases the quality of life for the accused;

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     (5) The pattern of media outlets only reporting on the facts of a case and controversy but

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not the outcome has incentivized the abuse of our institutions of justice to the point that it threatens

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to erode the community’s trust in the integrity of different government institutions, while giving

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license to unaccountable members of the press to abuse their position with impunity by trampling

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civil liberties; and

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     (6) The state has a compelling interest to compel the press to promote the truth because

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without truth, there is no freedom – freedom comes from the truth.

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     9-34-3. Definitions.

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     As used in this chapter:

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     (1) “Abuse of process” means the act of bringing and following through with a civil or

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criminal action or case and controversy for a purpose known to be different from the purpose for

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which the action was designed. The term includes proceedings that are brought for ulterior reasons

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than sought on the surface.

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     (2) “Accused” means a person who is blamed for a wrongdoing before a civil court, ethics

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commission, criminal court, administrative court, or a military tribunal. The term includes a person

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who has been arrested or formally charged by an indictment, information, or presentment with a

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crime or ethical violation.

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     (3) “Case and controversy” means any civil, criminal, or ethical proceedings before any

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governmental, state, federal, and administrative court, ethics commission, military tribunal, or

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legislative body.

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     (4) “Court of public opinion” means the general community consensus or opinion.

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     (5) “Defamation” means a false and unprivileged statement of fact that is harmful to

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someone’s reputation, and published with fault, meaning as a result of negligence or malice.

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     (6) “Defamation in-kind” means the failure of a media outlet to report on the outcome of a

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case and controversy after it reported on the initial filings of a case and controversy in which the

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petitioner ended up receiving less relief than originally sought or could have obtained, which could

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reasonably cultivate a conviction in the court of public opinion by placing the accused in a false

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light that causes him or her to be avoided, marginalized, and shunned by the general public.

 

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     (7) “False light” means an untrue or misleading portrayal.

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     (8) “Malicious prosecution” means the act of initiation of a criminal prosecution or civil

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suit or other proceedings against another party with malice and without probable cause.

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     (9) “Media outlet” means a publication or broadcast program that provides news and

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feature stories to the public through various distribution channels. Media outlets include

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newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and certain websites on the Internet that

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are part of the press. A media outlet does not involve a person who does not work in the press as a

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profession or who does not regularly engage in the business of reporting.

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     (10) “Mugshot” means an official photograph taken after the accused suspect is arrested

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for an alleged criminal violation. The intended purpose of the mugshot is to allow law enforcement

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to have a photographic record of the arrested individual. Mugshots are also intended to be used for

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identification by victims and investigators. Usually, mugshots are two (2) part, one side-view photo,

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and another front-view photo.

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     (11) “Petitioner” means a person or government body who presents a petition to a

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government authority with respect to a particular cause. The terms shall be inclusive of plaintiffs,

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claimant, or complainant.

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     (12) “Press” means the people such as reporters and photographers who work for

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newspapers, magazines, televisions, websites, and radio outlets.

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     9-34-4. Duty of a media outlet to publish a follow-up report on the outcome of a case

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and controversy under certain conditions following a timely demand notice.

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     (a) A media outlet is required to provide equal coverage in comparable time, place,

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magnitude, prominence, scale and manner in the same format as the original reporting of a case

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and controversy, if and only if:

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     (1) The media outlet reported on the facts of a case and controversy and the final verdict

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provided less relief against the accused than originally sought by the petitioner or less than could

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have been obtained by the petitioner; and

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     (2) The accused or the authorized agent of the accused sends an electronic or written

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demand notice to an authorized agent of the media outlet within twenty (20) days after the verdict

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or outcome, demanding that the facts surrounding the final and actual decision or outcome be

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reported and published as a follow-up to the original reporting.

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     (b) In the written notification described in subsection (a) of this section, the accused or the

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authorized agent of the accused must include:

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     (1) The date and source of the first reporting by the media outlet;

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     (2) A short description of the original allegations, the original relief sought by the

 

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petitioner, or the amount of relief that could have been obtained, and a short description of the final

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outcome and the relief actually awarded;

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     (3) The location of the venue where the case and controversy was resolved and the docket

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number of the case and controversy, if one was assigned;

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     (4) An acknowledgment that the positions asserted in the demand notice are declared under

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oath, under the penalty of perjury, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746;

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     (c) In the demand notice described in subsection (a) of this section, the accused or the

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authorized agent of the accused may include:

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     (1) A photograph of the accused that authorizes the media outlet to use it at its discretion;

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     (2) Links to or a hard copy of the original coverage published by the media outlet;

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     (3) A demand to take down any unflattering pictures or mugshots of the accused that were

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used in the original publication; and

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     (4) Any other facts or pertinent information that could be relevant.

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     (d) If a media outlet reports on the facts of a case and controversy and displays the mugshot

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of the accused, and the accused is acquitted, enters into a plea of nolo contendere, or receives an

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outcome more favorable than originally sought by the petitioner or available to the petitioner:

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     (1) The media outlet shall take down or remove the mugshot from any digital publication,

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if possible;

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     (2) The media outlet shall not display the mugshot in the follow-up publication that reports

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on the actual outcome of the case and controversy and shall only display images that it has the

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authorization to use.

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     (e) If the result of a civil trial is settled under the terms of a private settlement agreement,

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the accused is not required to provide the terms of the private settlement agreement but can alert

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the media outlet that the case and controversy was settled.

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     9-34-5. Civil liability, penalties, statute of limitations.

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     (a) After receiving the demand notice by the accused described in § 9-34-4, a media outlet

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that reported on the facts of the case and controversy prior to its resolution shall have ten (10) days

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to comply with the demand notice by publishing a follow-up story that reports on the actual

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outcome. The accused shall have the burden of proof at a civil trial to show that the notice was

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timely served on the media outlet, and met all of the requirements of § 9-34-4.

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     (b) If the media outlet fails to comply with the demand notice within ten (10) days, the

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accused has one year to file suit from the day of non-compliance and can seek the following relief

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in a court of competent jurisdiction against the media outlet:

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     (1) Statutory damages of ten thousand dollars ($10,000);

 

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     (2) Attorneys' fees and costs;

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     (3)Actual damages; and

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     (4) Other forms of equitable and injunctive relief.

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     (c) If multiple media outlets fail to comply with the demand notice subject to the

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jurisdiction of the court, they can be added as co-defendants in a consolidated case to conserve

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judicial economy.

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     (d) If the media outlet displayed the mugshot of the accused in the original publication as

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described in § 9-34-4, in a digital format, the accused can seek injunctive relief to have the media

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outlet remove the image.

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     9-34-6. Immunity, exceptions, and exemptions.

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     (a) A media outlet is immune and exempt from liability under this chapter if it:

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     (1) Is known to publish satire or parody or admits that it is a fake news outlet, and its

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purpose is to traffic in fiction peddling for comedic or entertainment purposes.

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     (2) Reports on the facts of the outcome in comparable time, place, magnitude, prominence,

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scale and manner of the original publication prior to receiving the demand notice from the accused;

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     (3) Receives an untimely demand notice more than twenty (20) days after the day of the

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verdict by the accused; or

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     (4) Never reported on the case and controversy prior to the decision being reached.

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     (b) The petitioner has no standing under this chapter to make a media outlet report on the

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outcome of a case and controversy regardless of the outcome. Neither the petitioner nor the accused

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have standing to compel a media outlet to report on the case and controversy after it is filed.

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     (c) If a media outlet reported on a case or controversy involving one or more felony charges

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and the accused was convicted or plead guilty to one felony count, the accused lacks standing to

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enforce this chapter.

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     (d) The act does not apply to a media outlet that publishes a documentary, film, or an

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extensive investigative report regarding a case and controversy.

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     9-34-7. Waiver of rights.

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     (a) An accused has the right to waive his or her rights under this chapter as a part of a

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negotiated settlement.

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     (b) A court of competent jurisdiction has the discretion to not acknowledge that waiver of

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rights described in subsection (a) of this section, if there is any evidence that the waiver was

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undertaken under coercion.

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     9-34-8. Construction and purpose.

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     The purpose of this chapter is to:

 

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     (1) Prevent unchecked media outlets from acting as slander machines by engaging in

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defamation in-kind, abusing the general public, and degrading the integrity of our institutions of

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justice through selective reporting on cases and controversies that cultivates false narratives to the

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point that it unduly injures the accused by eroding their civil liberties causing them to be shunned

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and avoided by the general public due to a cloud of suspicion of wrongdoing that does not exactly

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align with the original allegations or the relief provided in a case and controversy lodged before a

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governmental body;

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     (2) Protect the integrity of the press and encourage good character of the members of the

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press core;

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     (3) Deter malicious prosecution, abuse of process in general, prosecutors from

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overcharging defendants, and plaintiff’s from seeking excessive reliefs in the original cause

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complaint;

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     (4) Promote a mercy centric justice system because no human is perfect; and

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     (5) Deter convictions in the court of public opinion that do not necessarily align with

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convictions by our institutions of justice.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE – PROCEDURE GENERALLY

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     This act would create “The Stop Guilt by Accusation Act” which would preclude the media

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from engaging in defamation in-kind through selective reporting on cases and controversies that

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cultivate false narratives so that it unduly injures the accused, causing them to be shunned and

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avoided by the general public due to a cloud of suspicion of wrongdoing that is not accurate as to

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the original allegations or the relief provided in a case or controversy.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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