This is an appeal from the grant of summary judgment against Linda McDonald on her libel suit; she was a member of the Augusta Fire Department in Georgia. In 1999, former Fire Chief Ronnie Few decided to host the Southeastern Fire Chief’s Convention in Augusta. Few and Katrice Bryant, the department’s former public information officer, were to determine the number of logo items to order from Dan Cook Associates to give away or to sell to defray the cost of the convention. Attendance at the convention was below expectations, and there was a $23,000 shortfall of revenues to pay the cost of the items purchased for giveaway and sale. In the departmental paper, the “Siren,” Bryant, with Few’s approval, accused McDonald in an advertisement of ordering too many articles and causing the revenue problems. Bryant prepared a report accounting for the funds at the direction at the Augusta Commission’s direction. Prior to filing the report with the commission, Bryant sent a copy to the Southeastern Fire Chief’s Association; the report accused McDonald of ordering and negotiating the prices for the souvenirs and failing to inform Few and Bryant of the amount of the order. McDonald contended that the article and the letter were false. The trial court granted summary judgment; finding no error, we affirm. Few and Bryant were responsible for determining the number of convention attendees and therefore, the amount of materials to order. A few weeks before the convention, Few and Bryant made a final decision of the number of items to order, using Dan Cook Associates’ price list. After the revenue shortfall, in the report to the Commission copied to the Southeastern Fire Chief’s Association, Bryant accused McDonald of negotiating the prices of the souvenirs and ordering them without telling Few and Bryant. To sell the souvenirs, Bryant ran an advertisement in the “Siren,” offering to sell the unsold souvenirs at the price “Linda negotiated” and accused McDonald of “ordering too many goodies that have not been sold.” Bryant testified that she had no intent to cause harm to McDonald and that she had attempted to be humorous like a “jail and bail type fund raiser.” McDonald contended that she was merely a contact person for Dan Cook Associates; however, Few and Bryant testified that McDonald negotiated and ordered the souvenirs and that their input was only as to type and color of items to be ordered. There is no dispute that McDonald placed the order. The Dan Cook Associates invoice listed McDonald as the person placing the order.
The falsehood in the letter was that McDonald was the only one that did not submit her invoices in a timely fashion. The Dan Cook invoices were delayed, because Few and Bryant changed the order in the final weeks. In the report, Bryant denied that she and Few were aware of the contract with Dan Cook Associates. Finally, the report falsely stated that McDonald was responsible for determining the amount of items to purchase and at what price to purchase them.
