Libel Award to Be Reviewed

The full U.S. Court of Appeals agreed today to reconsider a decision to reinstate a $2-million award to former Mobil Corp. President William Tavoulareas in his libel suit against The Washington Post.

The full 10-member court, offering no grounds for its new decision, voted 7-2 to rehear the case, with one member not participating in the decision. On April 9, a three-member appeals panel ruled that a 1979 article published by the Post about Tavoulareas’ business dealings contained false statements and that “the evidence was sufficient to demonstrate that the article was published in reckless disregard of its falsity.”