TV & VIDEO - Jan. 6, 1989

A libel case brought by Tom Selleck’s father will go to trial against a supermarket tabloid, which claimed Robert Selleck gave his son’s “love secrets” to the publication, the state Supreme Court has ruled. The court unanimously upheld a lower-court ruling reinstating Robert Selleck’s libel lawsuit against Globe International and upholding his status as a private figure, which makes it easier to win a libel case. The lawsuit stems from a December, 1982 issue of the Globe that carried the front-page headline, “Tom Selleck’s Love Secrets--By His Father.” Inside, the story was headlined, “Why Tom Selleck Can Never Be a Happy Lover.” It said Robert Selleck had described his son as shy and ill at ease with women, and quoted the elder Selleck as saying, “Tom’s relationships with women in his life are always disappointing because he’s just not the person they think he should be. He’s shy and sensitive, not rough and rugged.” In his lawsuit, Robert Selleck said he had a brief, innocuous conversation with the writer of the article, but denied saying anything about his son’s relationships with women.