The State - News from July 13, 1989

California’s shield law does not protect media people from testifying about an incident witnessed while covering another story, according to a state appellate court decision in a Bakersfield case. Justice Marvin Baxter wrote that the shield law was not intended to create an absolute privilege and immunity from testifying about happenstance observations of public events. The case involved Michael Gregerson, a cameraman for KERO-TV, who was covering a 1986 traffic accident in which a load of packaged meat spilled on California 99. As he filmed an interview with a California Highway Patrol officer, a car struck the debris in the road and flipped over. The driver, John Liggett, was injured, and he sued the meat company and subpoenaed Gregerson to testify. Gregerson’s station provided Liggett a tape of the accident but balked at having Gregerson testify, contending that the cameraman was protected under the shield law.