60 Minutes SLAPPed by Washington Apple Farmers

In 1989, 60 Minutes broadcast a story about the harmful effects of a chemical called alar, used in apple growing. In this famous SLAPP, apple farmers in Washington state sued 60 Minutes and its parent companies, alleging more than $100 million in damages.

The suit was dismissed on summary judgment, which the U.S. Ninth Circuit upheld on appeal in 1994, because the apple growers could not show that the statements made by 60 Minutes were false.

See Auvil v. CBS “60 Minutes,” 67 F.3d 816 (1994).