Robert Stein and Cory Bonk obtained dismissal of a Middlesex County, New Jersey, tort claim against their client for false light/invasion of privacy wherein Plaintiff sought compensatory and punitive damages for defamation and emotional distress. The lawsuit arose out of multiple municipal court complaints filed by GMR’s client against the Plaintiff, alleging harassment, which were ultimately dismissed. Plaintiff then filed a civil action alleging false light/invasion of privacy and defamation. Bonk successfully relied upon and argued not only the statute of limitations but the defense of litigation privilege-the longstanding common-law privilege that protects any statements made “in a judicial proceeding, by a person authorized to make those statements, to achieve the objectives of the litigation, and had some connection or logical relation to the underlying action.”
