Ohio Libel Plaintiff Can Sue Over Late-Discovered Fake Email

The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday expanded to defamation cases a rule allowing people to sue when they discover they’ve been injured, even if that discovery occurs years after a deadline to file has passed.

The court, in a case involving a township trustee and a developer, said libel claims can be brought after statute of limitations expire if a discovered offending statement was kept secret or unknowable to the person it was about. That means a litigant has one year to sue after a secret statement was revealed to them, says an opinion authored by Justice Michael P. Donnelly. ...