Opinion
November 16, 1998
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Westchester County (Colabella, J.).
Ordered that the judgment is affirmed, with costs.
Contrary to the defendants' contentions, the trial court correctly refused to charge the jury that the subject defamatory remarks were made under a qualified privilege ( see, Liberman v. Gelstein, 80 N.Y.2d 429, 437; Wright v. Johnson, 184 A.D.2d 234; Hollander v. Cayton, 145 A.D.2d 605; La Scala v. D'Angelo, 104 A.D.2d 930), or that the plaintiff was a limited-issue public figure ( see, James v. Gannett Co., 40 N.Y.2d 415, 422; Park v. Capital Cities Communications, 181 A.D.2d 192, 197; Wilsey v. Saratoga Harness Racing, 140 A.D.2d 857).
The damages awarded were not excessive.
Miller, J. P., Pizzuto, Friedmann and Goldstein, JJ., concur.