Lane & Waterman attorneys Bob Waterman and Alex Barnett successfully defended a defamation lawsuit before the Iowa District Court in Scott County and the Iowa Court of Appeals.  Both courts held the statement “I swear [plaintiff] is a pedophile, and that is why he is at school so much!?” constituted non-actionable opinion when viewed in context of the surrounding circumstances and the entire conversation.  The courts took turns describing the statement as “scatological,” “repugnant, repulsive, and vile,” but both courts agreed the statement constituted protected non-actionable opinion and did not rise to the level of defamation per se under the context of the conversation.  Click to read the Iowa Court of Appeals unanimous 12-page decision.