Affirmative Debate Pam Slaton

1032 Words3 Pages

Affirmative Debate
Good morning everyone, my name is K- McCafferty and I stand resolute with the court’s decision to dismiss the complaint, among other things, (1) that the statement in Reunited (Ms. Slaton’s book) expressing her belief that Vinnie (The Plaintiff) is her biological father are non-actionable opinion based on disclosed facts; and (2) that referring to Vinnie as a “Lothario” (a man who behaves selfishly and irresponsibly in his sexual relationships with women) and “player was not defamatory and was likewise opinion.
Ms. Pam Slaton is an investigative genealogist who specializes in locating missing family, friends and loved ones by day and by night she is a mother of two teenage boys. Slaton is an adoptee herself and went on her …show more content…

You're my daughter.
You were born on my birthday.' (Id., at 146).
4. I asked to see some pictures of Priscilla when she was young. . . . He went into the other room and brought out an old shoe box. It was full of pictures . . . of various women. There must have been hundreds in there. Vinnie was such a player. For a moment, I felt sorry for Priscilla. She was one in a string of Vinnie's conquests.
In chapter 8 of Reunited chronicles Ms. Slaton relationship with “big Vinnie” grew and she was plagued by nagging doubt whether Vinnie is her real father? She eventually arranges a DNA testing in order to know once and for all, who her biological father is. The test proved to be inconclusive, but knows in her heart, deep down inside the Vinnie is her father she ends the chapter with full warmth and affection for Vinnie, the man she believes to be her father.
And then “Vinnie” sued. In April 2013, plaintiff Vincent Oleniak instituted a libel action against Slaton, her co-author Marshall and the publisher of Reunited in New York State Supreme Court, New York County. In his complaint, Oleniak alleges that Reunited falsely accuses him of being Slaton’s father and of acknowledging his paternity. Oleniak admits in the complaint that he indeed had an unmarried sexual relationship with Slaton’s biological mother and had a child (Vinnie Jr.) from an out-of-wedlock relationship with another woman, but asserts that he is not Slaton’s …show more content…

Sources
Balin, R., & Bayard, S. (2014, June 25). New York Decision Protects Author's Speculation on Paternity as Opinion Based on Disclosed Facts — Oleniak v. Slaton. Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://www.medialawmonitor.com/2014/06/new-york-decision-protects-authors-speculation-on-paternity-as-opinion-based-on-disclosed-facts-oleniak-v-slaton/

Blake, M. (2013, April 12). 'Long-lost father' sues genealogist who appeared on Oprah for claiming she's his biological daughter in new book. Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2308052/Long-lost-father-sues-genealogist-claiming-shes-biological-daughter-Oprah.html

VINCENT OLENIAK, Plaintiff, v. PAMELA SLATON, SAMANTHA MARSHALL, HOLTZBRINCK PUBLISHERS, LLC, MacMILLAN PUBLISHERS, INC. and ST. MARTINS PRESS, LLC, Defendants. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2015, from https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=1538934135776530859&q=oleniak v. slaton&hl=en&as_sdt=6,44&as_vis=1

OLENIAK v. SLATON. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://www.leagle.com/decision/In NYCO 20140602301/OLENIAK v.

Open Document