Georgia Doctor Gets Second Chance at Defamation Claim

A statement by one doctor that much has changed since another doctor “last had the ability to practice medicine” likely defamed that doctor, a Georgia court has said (Smith v. DiFrancesco, 2017 BL 208501, Ga. Ct. App., A17A0404, 6/19/17).

The Georgia Court of Appeals June 19 reversed a pretrial judgment for Dr. Lisa DiFrancesco, who wrote the words in a letter to patients discouraging them from seeking age management services from Dr. Randy Smith. The court said the letter was defamatory per se, or on its face, because it required no interpretation or other evidence to be ...