A client who blasted a veteran attorney’s performance in a series of termination letters, going so far as to suggest “misconduct, malpractice, and negligence,” did not defame the lawyer, a unanimous state appeals panel has ruled.
The Appellate Division, First Department upheld a lower court’s ruling in Frechtman v. Gutterman, 157028/12, agreeing that the client’s statements were not defamatory because they were expressions of opinion rather than fact, and protected by both absolute and qualified privilege.
