Case Digest (G.R. No. 9986)
Facts:
Uy Tioco et al. v. Yang Shu Wen et al., G.R. Nos. 9986 and 9891, December 22, 1915, the Supreme Court En Banc, Trent, J., writing for the Court. The plaintiffs, Uy Tioco and another member (president and treasurer respectively) of the Manila branch of the Chinese society Kio Koc Sia, sued for libel against the defendants, publishers of the English daily *Cablenews-American*, based on an article published February 28, 1913.The challenged article reported that the boycott society had placed a P10,000 reward "for the life of Yang Shu Wen, Consul-General for China," described alleged secret meetings on February 19, and characterized a faction of the society as advocating violent methods. The plaintiffs claimed the publication defamed them by imputing participation in a conspiracy to place a price on the Consul-General’s head and by exposing them to loss of credit and reputation in the Manila business community.
Evidence at trial showed that a subsequent article published March 2, 1913, specifically named the persons to be deported, and only after that publication did some witnesses connect the plaintiffs with the alleged conspiracy and withdraw credit. The defendants offered justification evidence attempting to show the society itself was harmful but did not produce proof identifying the plaintiffs as responsible for the alleged reward. The lower court(s) ...(Pro-only)
Issues:
- Did the February 28, 1913 article in the Cablenews-American constitute a libel actionable by the plaintiffs (i.e., did it sufficiently identify them)?
- Were the defendants’ offers of justification sufficient to excuse the publication as to t...(Pro-only)
Ruling:
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Ratio:
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Doctrine:
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