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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Dow Gets Break On Libel Verdict

Associated Press

A federal judge in Houston on Friday threw out most of a $222.7 million libel verdict against Dow Jones & Co., a record amount that stunned the newspaper industry and free-press advocates.

The ruling by Judge Ewing Werlein eliminated $200 million in punitive damages awarded to the Houston investment firm of MMAR Group Inc. Actual damages of $22.7 million still stand against Dow Jones, which publishes The Wall Street Journal.

The ruling came two months after a jury decided that a Journal article by Laura Jereski published Oct. 21, 1993, was defamatory.