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Home › Politics

Politics | 02/23/2009 12:55 pm

'Bikini Reporter' Amy Jacobson Wins Big Hurdle in CBS Lawsuit

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

A Chicago-based NBC reporter who sued CBS for airing a controversial video of her in a bikini is winning her battle against the media giant.

Amy Jacobson, who once worked for Chicago’s NBC channel 5 news, filed a lawsuit against a local CBS-owned station, WBBM, on channel 2, for airing a six-minute video of her in a bikini at a house of a man whose wife mysteriously disappeared. The video showed Jacobson and her children attending a pool party on July 6, 2007 at Craig Stebic’s home. At the time, Jacobson had been covering the April 2007 disappearance of Stebic’s estranged wife, Lisa, according to the lawsuit filed by her attorney.

The video allegedly cost Jacobson her job, and the paycut forced her and her husband to sell their "dream" home, the suit read. The suit also said that the negative publicity from the footage made it impossible for Jacobson to find a new job.

Associate Cook County Judge Elizabeth Budzinski upheld four of Jacobson’s eight counts, dismissed three without prejudice (which allows for re-filing of the case in the future) and dismissed just one count. You can read the decision here [PDF].

Jacobson’s attorney, Kathleen Zellner, filed the over million-dollar lawsuit against CBS, as well as the president and general manager of the CBS-owned station, Joseph Ahern . The controversial video isn’t readily available on the Internet, but this screenshot is reportedly from the video and can be seen by clicking here. 

Here’s a breakdown of the decision, via Chicagoist…

• Count I - "Intrustion upon seclusion" - count dismissed without prejudice
• Count II - "False Light" - upheld
• Count III - "Violation of Illinois Right of Publicity Act" - count dismissed with prejudice
• Count IV - "Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress" - upheld
• Count V - "Defamation per se" - upheld
• Count VI - "Defamation per quod" - upheld
• Count VII - "Tortious interference with a business relationship" - count dismissed without prejudice
• Count VIII - "Tortious interference with a business expectancy" - count dismissed without prejudice

Read more about: Amy Jacobson, Bikini, CBS, Entertainment, Media, NBC, News, Society, U.S.

16 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Belinda Joy
Good for her!
By Belinda Joy on 02/23/2009 1:18 pm
Patricia .
I agree "Good for her!"  Its sickening that this stuff even happens.
By Patricia . on 02/23/2009 1:30 pm
DeBúrca obj
It was a breech of ethics. No "good for her". This woman is a journalist who was supposed to be covering a story about a man who was suspected of murdering his wife, and she was caught on video attending a pool party at his house and socializing with him. It wasn’t about being caught in a bikini, it was a breech of journalistic ethics.
By DeBúrca obj on 02/23/2009 8:42 pm
Lisa M
No one thinks it’s odd that a woman who is supposed to be covering the news about the disappearance a man’s estranged wife is socializing with him merely 3 months later?
By Lisa M on 02/23/2009 1:46 pm
Roger from Ohio
it might be odd…. but it isnt news.
By Roger from Ohio on 02/23/2009 2:01 pm
DeBúrca obj
It was news Roger, read my post below.
By DeBúrca obj on 02/23/2009 8:40 pm
Tee Zee
Lisa, I’m with you I think she crossed a line.  I’m not in favor of reporters pursuing a story that’s an active open police case only to enhance their own credentials.  
By Tee Zee on 02/23/2009 2:41 pm
C Hardy
Ok I do find it odd that she would be at this man’s house with her kids partying.  Do I think she should have lost her job over it, NO.  Do I think she has every right to sue, yes.  Should she win, yes.  She is a news reporter so in her town she is a local celebrity & what they do becomes news. 
By C Hardy on 02/23/2009 2:25 pm
Grande Camper

Article didn’t say if this party was a fund raiser.  If it was a fund raiser to help this guy to find his wife.  Than I could understand why she was there.

I don’t think she has the right to win.  She is a celebrity in her own town.  I think all news should be reported.  If she wins then it report only bias news not all news.

By Grande Camper on 02/23/2009 3:05 pm
DeBúrca obj

As a person from Chicago, I am well aware of that video and why she was fired. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was in a bikini. It was that she was in a bikini attending a party at the home of a man who was being investigated for suspicion of murdering his wife and this reporter was supposed to be covering the story.

This was about ethics, not a bikini. The article here is very misleading. 

By DeBúrca obj on 02/23/2009 8:39 pm
Roger from Ohio

I remember the story…. when I heard about it I thought that she was in the wrong….

Unless she was involved in the murder, it shouldnt have been national news…. but then I think that a lot of the national news shouldnt be news either.

 Local news is a whole different issue.

By Roger from Ohio on 02/23/2009 10:47 pm
DeBúrca obj
I’m surprised it WAS national news. Was it? I know about it because it happened in the Chicago area, I wouldn’t have thought it would make it to the news outlets elsewhere.
By DeBúrca obj on 02/24/2009 8:48 am
Roger from Ohio
it wasnt a major story… but they did talk about it a couple days…. and always had that long shot of her in the bikini….. that was probably the biggest reason that it was "national news" an excuse to show the bikini shot.
By Roger from Ohio on 02/24/2009 9:28 am
Josey Wales
So she is in a bikini in the house of a murderer. What’s wrong with that. Maybe it was a hot day. It ain’t as if she was doing the nasty with the murderer or anything like that.
By Josey Wales on 02/23/2009 9:15 pm
HA BIBI
Jacobson was invited over to the Stebic’s home by Mr. Stebic, to be interviewed. Jacobson fully believed that perhaps Mr. Stebic was possibly going to provide information regarding his missing wife. Being is that no one truly knows the the definative conversation between Mr. Stebic and Jacobson, my understanding is that it was agreed, that the interview would take place, out back by the pool. Many police investigators will play the endearing role to cause a suspect the feeling of trust and kinship, Whereby they are relaxed enough to offer up an confession. I believe that the more relaxed Jacobson appeared in the process of interviewing Mr. Stebic, the more readily he would open up to her.
By HA BIBI on 02/23/2009 10:38 pm
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