Youssoupoff v. MGM
My poem about this famous defamation case was first published on Page One of the John Marshall Law School student newspaper: “The Decisive Utterance," Volume 2, Number 6, on May 12, 1969.* John Marshall was then an independent law school — it is now affiliated with University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC)
I took two one semester courses there during the 1960's -- torts and contracts — to see if I could handle law school. We were required to hand in “case briefs” of each case we read, and I did this one, on a famous British libel case, in verse. The teacher, Mr. John Ingram, sent it to the school newspaper, where it was published on Page One!
That fall I entered the University of Chicago Law School.
But here is my "case brief" for that famous case and the JMLS newspaper editor’s note:
///////////////////////////////////////////
Youssoupoff v. MGM
by Joan Levin
Plaintiff here, a princess of Czarist Russian fame,
Alleges that defendant brought dishonor to her name.
She claims that said defendant in a cinema production,
Depicted her for all to see as victim of seduction.
Reasonable men would view her as seduced or even worse,
Under the spell of Rasputin, alleged monk accursed.
“It wasn’t so!” she cried in court “and here I was engaged,
To one of Rasputin’s murderers, who surely was enraged!”
Defendant MGM stood firm and said, “A little yarn.
That entertained -- though without truth -- what could be the harm?
A maiden ravished? Well what matter, surely none would blame her;
If people on the street should stare, so what? It should not shame her!”
But Justice Scruttin disagreed and held that if they’d said it,
On printed paper it would surely be to her discredit;
And that this story told on film is libel most complete,
So when the MGM lion roars, he’d better be discreet!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[*Editor's Note in JMLS newspaper: "Miss Levin’s artistic brief was forwarded to D.U. by Mr. Ingram who teaches Torts here at JMLS"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you would like to know more about this famous British defamation case, check these links:
If you would like to know more about this famous British defamation case, check these links:
or here:
