Restatement of the Law Third,

Torts: Defamation and Privacy

This project is part of ALI’s ongoing revision of the Restatement Second of Torts. Portions of the Restatement Second have been superseded by the Restatement Third of Torts: Products Liability, Apportionment of Liability, Liability for Physical and Emotional Harm, and Liability for Economic Harm.
This Restatement addresses torts dealing with personal and business reputation and dignity, including defamation, business disparagement, and rights of privacy. Among other issues, the updates will cover the substantial body of new issues relating to the internet.
  • Status
  • Participants
Lightbox Image
The Council approved the initiation of this project in January 2019. ALI members may join the Members Consultative Group.
Reporters
Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky University of Florida, Levin College of Law
Gainesville, FL
Robert C. Post Yale Law School
New Haven, CT
Advisers
Anita L. Allen-Castellitto University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Philadelphia, PA
David A. Anderson University of Texas, Austin School of Law
Austin, TX
Kevin Baine Williams & Connolly LLP
Washington, DC
Jack M. Balkin Yale Law School
New Haven, CT
Samantha Barbas Unviersity at Buffalo School of Law
Buffalo, NY
Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court of the United States
Washington, DC
Michael M. Baylson U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Wendy Beetlestone U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Sanford L. Bohrer Holland & Knight LLP (Retired)
Miami, FL
Tracie L. Brown California First District, Court of Appeal
San Francisco, CA
Clay Calvert University of Florida, College of Journalism & Communications (Retired)
Gainesville, FL
Aloke S. Chakravarty Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.
Weston, MA
William J. Chriss The Snapka Law Firm
Corpus Christi, TX
Danielle Citron University of Virginia School of Law
Charlottesville, VA
Anuj C. Desai University of Wisconsin Law School
Madison, WI
Jennifer Dorsey U.S. District Court, District of Nevada
Las Vegas, NV
Holly A. Dyer Foulston Siefkin LLP
Wichita, KS
John F. Fischer Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
Tulsa, OK
George Freeman Media Law Resource Center
New York, NY
Amy Gajda Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn, NY
David R. Geiger Foley Hoag LLP
Boston, MA
John C.P. Goldberg Harvard Law School
Cambridge, MA
Philip S. Goldberg Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Washington, DC
Michael D. Green Washington University School of Law
Saint Louis, MO
Roger L. Gregory U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Richmond, VA
Robert C. Heim Dechert LLP
Philadelphia, PA
James S. Hill North Dakota District Court, South Central District
Bismarck, ND
Noel L. Hillman Gibbons P.C.
Philadelphia, PA
Brian M. Hoffstadt California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Two
Los Angeles, CA
Lamont A. Jefferson Jefferson Cano Allison Barkley PLLC
San Antonio, TX
Bruce E. H. Johnson Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Seattle, WA
RonNell Andersen Jones University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College Law
Salt Lake City, UT
Thomas R. Julin Gunster
Miami, FL
Scott L. Kafker Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
Boston, MA
Eileen Kaufman Touro Law Center
Central Islip, NY
Leslie Carolyn Kendrick University of Virginia School of Law
Charlottesville, VA
Paul Kleven Law Offices of Paul Kleven
Berkeley, CA
Joseph H. Lang, Jr. Carlton Fields P.A.
Tampa, FL
Peter F. Langrock Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP
Middlebury, VT
Thomas S. Leatherbury Thomas S. Leatherbury Law, PLLC
Dallas, TX
Lili Levi University of Miami School of Law
Coral Gables, FL
David A. Logan Roger Williams University School of Law
Bristol, RI
Mary-Rose Papandrea University of North Carolina School of Law
Chapel Hill, NC
David F. Partlett Emory University School of Law
Atlanta, GA
John Pelander Supreme Court of Arizona (Retired)
Tucson, AZ
Carlton W. Reeves U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi
Jackson, MS
Clifford A. Rieders Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters
Williamsport, PA
Austin James Riter Parr Brown Gee & Loveless
Salt Lake City, UT
Beth Robinson U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
New York, NY
Jennifer E. Rothman University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Philadelphia, PA
Allison Jones Rushing U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Richmond, VA
Robert D. Sack U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
New York, NY
Pablo Salvador-Coderch Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Barcelona, Spain
David A. Schulz Ballard Spahr
New York, NY
Anthony J. Scirica U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Philadelphia, PA
Virginia A. Seitz Sidley Austin LLP
Washington, DC
Douglas G. Smith Aurelius Law Group LLC
Chicago, IL
Rodney A. Smolla Widener University Delaware Law School
Wilmington, DE
Jon S. Tigar U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Oakland, CA
Charles D. Tobin Ballard Spahr
Washington, DC
Eugene Volokh University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Los Angeles, CA
James Weinstein Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Phoenix, AZ
Benjamin C. Zipursky Fordham University School of Law
New York, NY
Members Consultative Group
Kenneth S. Abraham University of Virginia School of Law
Charlottesville, VA
Linda Auerbach Allderdice Holland & Knight LLP
Los Angeles, CA
Marc T. Amy Jones Walker LLP
Lafayette, LA
José F. Anderson University of Baltimore School of Law
Baltimore, MD
Christopher Edward Appel Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Washington, DC
Enrique Armijo Elon University School of Law
Greensboro, NC
Ronald G. Aronovsky Southwestern Law School
Los Angeles, CA
Michael F. Aylward Morrison Mahoney LLP
Boston, MA
Charles L. Babcock, IV Jackson Walker LLP
Houston, TX
Steven K. Balman Shook & Johnson
Tulsa, OK
Joseph R. Bankoff Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
Jennifer S. Bard University of Cincinnati College of Law
Cincinnati, OH
Sandra S. Baron Yale Law School Info. Society Project & Abrams Inst. for Freedom of Expression
New York, NY
Shawn J. Bayern Florida State University College of Law
Tallahassee, FL
Charles L. Becker Kline & Specter, PC
Philadelphia, PA
Neal S. Berinhout AT&T (Retired)
Atlanta, GA
Jonathan Biran Supreme Court of Maryland
Annapolis, MD
Stuart N. Brotman University of Tennessee, College of Communication & Information
Knoxville, TN
Arthur H. Bryant Bailey & Glasser LLP
Oakland, CA
Ellen M. Bublick University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law
Phoenix, AZ
John P. Burton Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, P.A.
Santa Fe, NM
Stephen Calkins Wayne State University Law School
Detroit, MI
Elena A. Cappella Philadelphia, PA
W. Jonathan Cardi Wake Forest University School of Law
Winston-Salem, NC
Nicole B. Casarez University of St. Thomas
Evergreen, CO
Jonathan G. Cedarbaum George Washington University Law School
Washington, DC
Edmond E. Chang U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Chicago, IL
Stephen Yee Chow Stephen Y. Chow, PC
Boston, MA
George W. Conk Fordham University School of Law
New York, NY
Christopher Scott D'Angelo Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP
Philadelphia, PA
Robert P. Deyling Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Washington, DC
John L. Diamond University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Anthony E. DiResta Holland & Knight LLP
Washington, DC
James B. Dolan, Jr. Bager, Dolan, Parker & Cohen
Boston, MA
John Fitzgerald Duffy University of Virginia School of Law
Charlottesville, VA
Jay M. Feinman Rutgers Law School
Camden, NJ
Michael R. Fitzpatrick Wisconsin Court of Appeals (Retired)
Madison, WI
Victor B. Flatt Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Cleveland, OH
Joseph D. Garrison Garrison, Levin-Epstein, Fitzgerald & Pirrotti PC
New Haven, CT
Jacob E. Gersen Harvard Law School
Cambridge, MA
Donald G. Gifford University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law
Baltimore, MD
Eric Goldman Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara, CA
James Goudkamp Oxford University
Oxford, England
Kent Greenfield Boston College Law School
Newton Center, MA
Charles E. Griffin Butler Snow LLP
Ridgeland, MS
Patricia Guerrero Supreme Court of California
San Francisco, CA
Mark A. Hall Wake Forest University School of Law
Winston-Salem, NC
David S. Han Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law
Malibu, CA
Gregory R. Hanthorn Jones Day
Atlanta, GA
Richard L. Hasen University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
Los Angeles, CA
Paul T. Hayden Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Thomas Healy Seton Hall University School of Law
Newark, NJ
Rex S. Heinke Complex Appellate Litigation Group LLP
Los Angeles, CA
Stephen E. Henderson University of Oklahoma College of Law
Norman, OK
Mike Hintze Hintze Law PLLC
Seattle, WA
Roger F. Holmes Biss & Holmes
Anchorage, AK
J. Russell Jackson Dowd Bennett LLP
Saint Louis, MO
Ralph A. Jacobs Westport Island, ME
Kevin D. Jewell Court of Appeals, Fourteenth District of Texas
Houston, TX
Vincent R. Johnson St. Mary's University School of Law
San Antonio, TX
Robb Jones United Educators (Retired)
Ashburn, VA
Roscoe Jones, Jr. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
West Des Moines, IA
Anil Kalhan Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
Philadelphia, PA
Peter Karanjia DLA Piper US LLP
Washington, DC
Amy Keller DiCello Levitt
Chicago, IL
Evelyn V. Keyes Texas Court of Appeals, 1st District (Retired)
Houston, TX
Jeff Kichaven Jeff Kichaven Commercial Mediation
Los Angeles, CA
Harold H. Kim U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Washington, DC
Nancy S. Kim Chicago-Kent College of Law
Chicago, IL
Steve Kim U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Los Angeles, CA
David G. Klaber K&L Gates LLP
Pittsburgh, PA
Candace Saari Kovacic-Fleischer American University, Washington College of Law
Washington, DC
Ronald J. Krotoszynski University of Alabama School of Law
Tuscaloosa, AL
Peter B Kutner University of Oklahoma College of Law
Norman, OK
John P. Lavelle, Jr. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Philadelphia, PA
Timothy P. Law Reed Smith LLP
Philadelphia, PA
Douglas Laycock University of Virginia School of Law (Retired)
Charlottesville, VA
Lawrence C. Levine University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
Sacramento, CA
John B. Lewis Baker & Hostetler LLP (Retired)
Shaker Heights, OH
Lewis J. Liman U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
New York, NY
Jessica D. Litman University of Michigan Law School
Ann Arbor, MI
Andrés W. López The Law Offices of Andrés W. López P.S.C.
San Juan, PR
Patrick A. Malone Patrick Malone & Associates, PC
Washington, DC
Hugh J. Marbury Cozen O'Connor
Washington, DC
Steven L. Mayer Arnold & Porter
San Francisco, CA
Christopher J. McFadden Court of Appeals of Georgia
Atlanta, GA
James C. McKay, Jr. Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Washington, DC
John J. "Mike" McKetta, III Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody, PC
Austin, TX
Kevin T. Merriman Lippes Mathias LLP
Buffalo, NY
Luther T. Munford Butler Snow LLP
Ridgeland, MS
Richard L. Neumeier Morrison Mahoney LLP (Retired)
Boston, MA
Donal Nolan University of Oxford, Worcester College
Oxford, England
Joel W. Nomkin Perkins Coie LLP
Phoenix, AZ
E. Farish Percy University of Mississippi Law School
Oxford, MS
Jeffrey M. Pollock Fox Rothschild LLP
Princeton, NJ
Ellen S. Pryor UNT Dallas College of Law
Dallas, TX
Manuel Alfonso Quinto-Pozos Deats Durst & Owen PLLC
Austin, TX
Richard J. R. Raleigh, Jr. Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Huntsville, AL
Jason A. Rantanen University of Iowa College of Law
Iowa City, IA
Terrance G. Reed Lankford & Reed PLLC
Alexandria, VA
R. Anthony Reese University of California, Irvine School of Law
Irvine, CA
Henry R. Reeve Denver District Attorney's Office (Retired)
Denver, CO
Doug Rendleman Washington and Lee University School of Law
Lexington, VA
Jacob H. Rooksby Gonzaga University School of Law
Spokane, WA
Lauri Waldman Ross Ross & Girten
Coral Gables, FL
Robert L. Rothman Law Office of Robert L. Rothman
Atlanta, GA
Joseph Sanders University of Houston Law Center
Houston, TX
Harry Sandick Patterson Belknap Webb and Tyler LLP
New York, NY
Leticia M. Saucedo University of California, Davis School of Law
Davis, CA
Nadia N. Sawicki Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Chicago, IL
Lynn Hecht Schafran Legal Momentum
New York, NY
Milton R. Schroeder Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Paradise Valley, AZ
Robert P. Schuster Robert P. Schuster, P.C.
Jackson, WY
Victor E. Schwartz Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Washington, DC
Marc M. Seltzer Susman Godfrey LLP
Los Angeles, CA
Dan Shefet Cabinet Shefet
Paris, France
William P. Shelley Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP (Retired)
Philadelphia, PA
Kenneth W. Simons University of California, Irvine School of Law
Irvine, CA
Paul M. Smith Georgetown University Law Center
Washington, DC
Carl A. Solano Superior Court of Pennsylvania (Retired)
Philadelphia, PA
Carlos R. Soltero Maynard Nexsen PC
Austin, TX
Victor P. Stabile Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA
Michael K. Steenson Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Saint Paul, MN
James Y. Stern William & Mary Law School
Williamsburg, VA
Rhea C. Stevens Law Office of Rhea Stevens
Pearland, TX
Larry S. Stewart Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. (Retired)
West Palm Beach, FL
H. Mark Stichel RKW Law Group
Baltimore, MD
Laura Denvir Stith Supreme Court of Missouri
Kansas City, MO
Guy Miller Struve Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Retired)
New York, NY
Mary-Christine Sungaila Complex Appellate Litigation Group
Newport Beach, CA
Louise Ellen Teitz Roger Williams University School of Law
Bristol, RI
Jay Tidmarsh Notre Dame Law School
Notre Dame, IN
Stacey Ann Tovino University of Oklahoma College of Law
Norman, OK
Daniel Mack Traynor U.S. District Court, District of North Dakota
Bismarck, ND
Michael Traynor Cobalt LLP
Berkeley, CA
Deborah Tuerkheimer Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Chicago, IL
Carla C. van Dongen State Farm Insurance Companies
Bloomington, IL
Ari Ezra Waldman University of California, Irvine School of Law
Irvine, CA
Chang Wang Kingsfield Law Office
Bloomington, MN
Merle Weiner University of Oregon School of Law
Eugene, OR
Jack M. Weiss Liskow & Lewis
New Orleans, LA
Nancy E. Weiss Institute of Museum and Library Services
Washington, DC
Heather Welch Marion Superior Court, Civil One
Indianapolis, IN
W. Bradley Wendel Cornell Law School
Ithaca, NY
James F. Williams Perkins Coie LLP
Seattle, WA
Douglas P. Woodlock U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
Boston, MA
Richard W. Wright IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Evanston, IL