Curtis Publishing Co. - Famous Court Case: Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts - Specimen Stock Certificate
Inv# SE4196 Specimen Stock
Specimen Stock printed by Security Banknote Company. Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts, 388 U.S. 130 (1967), represents a pivotal ruling by the US Supreme Court that established the criteria for First Amendment protection against defamation claims made by private individuals.
The case centered on a libel lawsuit initiated by former Georgia Bulldogs football coach Wally Butts against The Saturday Evening Post. This lawsuit stemmed from an article published in the magazine, which accused Butts, who was still serving as Georgia's athletic director after resigning as coach following the 1960 season, and Alabama head coach Bear Bryant of conspiring to manipulate game outcomes, particularly the 1962 season opener between the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide, which Alabama won decisively with a score of 35-0. The Butts case was merged with another case, Associated Press v. Walker, and both were resolved in a single opinion.
In ruling in favor of Butts but against Walker, the Supreme Court provided guidance on the circumstances under which a "public figure" may pursue a libel claim.
In a plurality opinion authored by Justice John Marshall Harlan II, the Supreme Court determined that news organizations are shielded from liability when they publish allegations concerning public officials. Nevertheless, in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), the Supreme Court established that news organizations could still be held liable to public figures if the information disseminated was done with actual malice.
Ultimately, the Court ruled in favor of Butts, mandating that The Saturday Evening Post pay $3.06 million in damages to Butts, a sum that was subsequently reduced to $460,000 upon appeal. This settlement was perceived as a significant factor contributing to the decline of The Saturday Evening Post and its parent company, Curtis Publishing Company, two years later. Both Butts and Bryant had sought $10 million each in damages, with Bryant ultimately settling for $360,000.
Stock and Bond Specimens are made and usually retained by a printer as a record of the contract with a client, generally with manuscript contract notes such as the quantity printed. Specimens are sometimes produced for use by the printing company's sales team as examples of the firm’s products. These are usually marked "Specimen" and have no serial numbers.
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