Howard v. Savannah College of Art Design, Inc.

Full title: HOWARD v. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART DESIGN, INC. et al

Court: Supreme Court of Georgia

Date published: Jan 11, 1990

387 S.E.2d 332 (Ga. 1990)

387 S.E.2d 332

Opinion

S89A0433.

DECIDED JANUARY 11, 1990. RECONSIDERATION DENIED FEBRUARY 6, 1990.

Certiorari to the Chatham Superior Court.

Hull, Towill, Norman Barrett, David E. Hudson, James B. Ellington, for appellant.

Ranitz, Mahoney, Forbes Coolidge, Morton G. Forbes, Catherine M. Bowman, Middleton Anderson, Susan E. Shelley, Neely Player, Taylor Tapley Daly, Leigh M. Wilco, for appellees.

Dow, Lohnes Albertson, Terrence B. Adamson, Peter C. Canfield, Carolyn Y. Forrest, amicus curiae.

WELTNER, Justice.

A newspaper reporter refused to answer certain questions propounded to her during a deposition taken in the course of civil litigation. Her refusal was based upon her assertion of a purported "qualified reporter's privilege."

The trial court held: "Georgia has no statutory qualified reporter's privilege. . . . [She] has no qualified reporter's privilege under the law of this state."

This holding was correct. Vaughn v. State, 259 Ga. 325 ( 381 S.E.2d 30) (1989).

Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur.

DECIDED JANUARY 11, 1990 — RECONSIDERATION DENIED FEBRUARY 6, 1990.