Judge Sees Signs of Malice in Story in 1982 Tabloid
A supermarket tabloid showed “clear indications of actual malice” when it printed a 1982 article that allegedly libeled Scott Thorson, the reputed lover of pianist Liberace, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge said Tuesday.
The multimillion-dollar suit involves an article published in the Globe that claimed that Thorson was a boy prostitute and had sex with his foster father. Thorson claimed that Liberace planted the story to scare him off from pursuing a $113-million palimony suit that Thorson filed against the flamboyant musician in 1982.
The libel suit names the tabloid, reporter Mike Snow and Thorson’s half brother, Wayne Johnson, who was interviewed for the article.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Edward M. Ross tentatively rejected the Globe’s request for dismissal of Thorson’s libel suit but then decided to reconsider his position. He gave no indication of when he would rule.
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