Gannett, AP Shed Police Association’s Suit Over Online Stories

Gannett Co. Inc. and the Associated Press won’t face reinstated libel claims by the National Police Association under a theory of “continuing publication” for failing to remove articles from the internet.

A defamation claim can’t be based on events occurring after an article is published, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said Thursday in an opinion by Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi.

“The single publication rule, which limits libel liability to the first publication of a work, has been applied to online material across the country, including in this circuit,” the court said.

The NPA cited the Restatement (Second) ...