From Amor v. Conover, decided yesterday by Judge John Gallagher (E.D. Pa.):
[Plaintiffs'] allegations arise following Defendant's participation in the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival as a paying guest. Plaintiffs Dr. Amor and Ms. Amor are both performance directors at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival. In addition to his Renaissance Festival involvement, Plaintiff Dr. Amor is a dentist with a business practice located in Pennsylvania.
Defendant's statements allege that Plaintiffs refused to take seriously allegations that renaissance festival cast members/employees under their supervision committed sexual misconduct against other renaissance festival cast members/employees, some of whom were minors under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged abuse. According to Plaintiffs' Complaint, Defendant's statements further allege Plaintiffs "retaliated against said rape and/or sexual assault victims by, amongst other things, publicly humiliating them, calling them crazy, refusing to rehire them, and/or terminating them from employment." …
Plaintiffs sued for libel, and the question before the court at this point was solely whether they are limited-purpose public figures and must therefore prove that the defendant knew her statements were false (or likely false), rather than just that the defendant was negligent as to their falsehood:
