Moran v. Permanente Med. Grp. – Aug. 2015 (Summary)

DEFAMATION

Moran v. Permanente Med. Grp., F068748 (Cal. Ct. App. Aug. 27, 2015)

A physician sued his former employer for defamation, alleging that another physician at the group sabotaged his career by speaking negatively of him. Among other things, the other physician said the plaintiff “used peer review as a weapon.”

The trial court held in favor of the medical group because the statements made were either true or merely opinions. The physician appealed, arguing that the trial court overlooked the statements that may look like opinions, but are actually verifiably false statements. The court of appeals rejected this position and upheld the decision of the trial court unconvinced about the nature of the statements.