| October 1983 |
Hustler Magazine
publishes a Campari "ad parody" in its November 1983 issue that
describes Reverend Jerry Falwell's "first time": incest in an outhouse
with his mother. |
| October 31, 1983 |
Falwell files a complaint in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia alleging that Hustler Magazine, in its November issue, defamed him and intentionally inflicted emotional distress. |
| November 15, 1983 |
The Moral Majority,
a fundamentalist organization headed by Falwell, sends out mass
mailings to its 500,000 members describing the Hustler parody. A
second mailing, to 27,000 "major donors," includes a copy of the
Campari ad. |
| January 30, 1984 |
Plaintiff files its
amended complaint against Hustler. |
| February 1984 |
The Campari parody
ad is republished in the March 1984 issue of Hustler Magazine. Flynt
announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for president and
enters the New Hampshire primary. |
| June 1984 |
Flynt is deposed at
a federal prison in North Carolina, where he is serving time for
contempt of court. Bearded, full of bedsores, and probably in an
unstable mental state, Flynt offers vulgar, flippant, and outrageous
answers to the questions from Falwell's attorney, Norman Grutman. |
| December 3, 1984 |
The trial opens in
federal district court in Virginia. A defense motion to exclude
the deposition of Larry Flynt is denied. |
| December 8, 1984 |
Court's charge to the jury, and verdict of the jury in favor of Defendants Hustler Magazine, Inc. and Larry Flynt on claim of libel, and in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendants Hustler Magazine, Inc. and Larry Flynt on claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress. The jury awards compensatory and punitive damages on claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress. |
| April 19, 1985 |
Hustler's motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict is denied. |
| August 5, 1986 |
The Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals affirms the judgment against Hustler for intentional infliction
of emotional distress. |
| November 4, 1986 |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in banc, denies Hustler's petition for rehearing, with dissenting opinions. |
| December 2, 1987 |
The Supreme Court
hears oral arguments in the case of Hustler
v. Falwell. Norman Grutman argues the case for Falwell,
while Alan Isaacman argues for Hustler. |
| February 24, 1988 |
The Supreme Court,
on a 8 to 0 vote, overturns the Virginia jury's verdict against
Hustler. Writing for the Court, Justice Rehnquist says the "First
Amendment
prohibits such a result in the area of public debate about public
figures." |
| January 10, 1997 |
Jerry Falwell and
Larry Flynt appear together on the Larry King show and engage in
surprisingly friendly conversation about their trial. Soon
afterwards, Falwell visits Flynt in his Beverly Hills office and the
two men begin a friendship. |
| May 15, 2007 |
Jerry Falwell dies
of a heart attack at age 73. |