SC 20800 - Idlibi v. Hartford Courant Co. ("The self-represented plaintiff, Ammar
Idlibi, a pediatric dentist, appeals from the judgment
of the Appellate Court affirming the judgment of the
trial court, which rendered summary judgment in favor
of the defendant, Hartford Courant Company, on his
defamation claims. The plaintiff’s complaint centers
around two articles published by the defendant that
allegedly exaggerated the scope and seriousness of disciplinary proceedings conducted by the Department of
Public Health (department) and the Connecticut State
Dental Commission that resulted in a reprimand, fines, and probation of the plaintiff’s license to practice as
a dentist. The courts below concluded that the five
allegedly defamatory statements contained in the articles either were substantially true or were subject to
the fair report privilege and, therefore, were protected
speech under the first amendment to the United States
constitution. In this certified appeal, the plaintiff’s primary claim is that he should have been permitted to
proceed to trial on a sixth allegation, one only vaguely
alluded to in his pleadings, that a stock (or file) photograph accompanying the defendant’s articles also was
defamatory. Although this case raises important questions about the extent to which the judiciary must
accommodate the inexperience of self-represented litigants, and potentially implicates some constitutional
questions of first impression that the parties have not
fully briefed, we ultimately conclude that this sixth
claim is not properly in the case and, therefore, affirm
the judgment of the Appellate Court.")