Opinion

Kenworthy v. Brown

  • 45 Misc. 292
  • 92 N.Y.S. 34
Court
New York Supreme Court
Filed
Nov 15, 1904
Status
Published
Author
Gaynor
On the bench
Gaynor
Cited by
2 cases
Authority
More cited than 77.3%

The opinion

Gaynor, J.:

Hemmens v. Nelson ( 138 N. Y. 517 ) is not in point. The trpuble there was that the complaint did not contain an innuendo, which is always necessary in the case of words capable of two meanings, one slanderous and the other not. In such cases the slanderous meaning must be singled out and alleged by an innuendo, i. e., a special allegation of the complaint. This is only a question of pleading. The present case is different. There is an innuendo alleging the meaning of the words to be an imputation of unchastity. The question therefore is whether the words are capable of such a meaning. They are not, and their meaning cannot be enlarged by an innuendo. These rules are too familiar to bear citation by a trial judge.

Judgment for the defendant.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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