Add. Defendants: Gamon Mason & W. B. Swaney. Plaintiff had been a publisher and owner of the Nashville Tennessean paper and the President of Southern Publishers, Inc. The defendant was a competitor and W. B. Swaney gave a false and slanderous interview, referring to the plaintiff as guilty of unethical and fraudulent practices that resulted in the failure of certain banks and businesses. The malicious slander was meant to and did hurt his business. Plaintiff sued for libel in the sum of $100,000.