Greenfield v. Kanwit’s Empirical Analysis
1982
Citation profile
2 federal appellate ·
Relationships
Applies 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Civil Rights Act of 1871 / Section 1983 (Ku Klux Klan Act))
Relies on Lugar v. Edmondson Oil Co. · Jackson v. Metropolitan Edison Co. · Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority · Rendell-Baker v. Kohn · Barrett v. United States
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“A communication made bona fide upon any subject matter in which the party communicating has an interest, or in reference to which he has a duty, is privi leged if made to a person having a corresponding interest or duty, although it contained criminating matter which, without this privilege, would be slanderous and actionable; and this though the duty be not a legal one, but only a moral or social duty of imperfect obligation.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority“While such privilege is not absolute, it may be overcome only by a showing that the publication was motivated or actuated by actual malice.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.