Jerry Falwell

===Falwell versus ''Penthouse''===
Falwell filed a $10 million lawsuit against ''[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]]'' for publishing an article based upon interviews he gave to [[Freelancer|freelance]] reporters, after failing to convince a federal court to place an injunction upon the publication of that article. The suit was dismissed in Federal district court in 1981 on the grounds that the article was not [[defame|defamatory]] or an invasion of Falwell's [[privacy]] (the Virginia courts had not recognized this privacy tort, which is recognized in other states).<ref>{{cite news |date=February 5, 1981 |title=Falwell Says He Will Press $10 Million Penthouse Suit |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |page=A10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=August 7, 1981 |title=Penthouse Wins in Court Against Falwell Suit |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=United Press International |page=A8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 10, 1981 |title=Falwell Won't Pursue Suit |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=United Press International |page=A28}}</ref>