The Ohio Supreme Court will hear arguments in an appeal involving a lawsuit over claims that a television station falsely labeled three siblings as "robbers."
A Columbus family sued WBNS-TV in 2016 claiming defamation after the station reported on a robbery at a Columbus waterpark and included a police-provided surveillance photo of three unnamed individuals. The station's website story used "robbers' in the headline with the photo underneath. An investigation cleared the siblings of wrongdoing. WBNS argued the family couldn't prove the station acted negligently, and a lower court dismissed the lawsuit. But an appeals court overturned that decision. Arguments will be heard Wednesday in Ashtabula County.