Chicago Lawyers – Defamation, Libel, Slander, Privacy and First Amendment Attorneys

Our defamation, privacy and First Amendment attorneys have earned national recognition in representing publishing companies, media entities and individuals. We have successfully defended defamation and invasion of privacy actions filed by celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Judith Exner, Heather Thomas, Dionne Warwick, Cat Stevens, Joan Collins and Tom Selleck, as well as prominent politicians, physicians, lawyers and labor organizations. We are experienced in prepublication review for print and television media, advising television production staff on program subjects and content, and counseling clients regarding newsgathering issues.

Our clients have also included:

Johnny Carson against a tabloid publisher in Carson v. Allied News Company, which defined the standard for reckless disregard and actual malice
Attorney Patrick Tuite in his defamation lawsuit against HarperCollins and authors Michael Corbitt and Sam Giancana for statements made in the book “Double Deal” suggesting that Tuite paid bribes to fix criminal prosecutions of high-ranking members of the Mafia.
Former Chicago Bear Keith Van Horne in a defamation action against nationally syndicated shock jock Mancow Muller, resulting in a $1.6 million settlement
Janet Dahl, wife of Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl, in her well-publicized defamation case against Mancow Muller
A prominent law firm in Hopewell v. Vitullo, successfully asserting the defense of opinion for media statements regarding the “incompetence” of a U.S. Senator's campaign treasurer
A former Chicago Alderman in defense of campaign statements made about an opposing candidate, and advocating application of the then-newly enacted Illinois anti-SLAPP statute
A former president of Illinois State Medical Society in defense of statements critical of a candidate for office in the society

Deutsch, Levy & Engel also litigates commercial speech issues of national importance. We represented STATS, Inc. in NBA v. Motorola, Inc. and STATS, Inc., which determined that sports statistics cannot be owned once made public; thus preventing the use of state misappropriation laws to circumvent the Copyright Act. On behalf of a syndication of outdoor advertising companies, Deutsch, Levy & Engel successfully challenged a City of Chicago ordinance banning the outdoor advertising of cigarettes and alcohol in Federation of Advertising Industry Representatives v. City of Chicago.

You can read more about these and other defamation, privacy and First Amendment cases here.

		Paul Levy
		Phil Zisook
		Brian Saucier