''Pavesich v. New England Life Insurance Company'' was a court case decided by the
Georgia Supreme Court in 1905. It is noteworthy as one of the first explicit endorsements of the
right to privacy as derived from
natural law
Natural law ( la, ius naturale, ''lex naturalis'') is a system of law based on a close observation of human nature, and based on values intrinsic to human nature that can be deduced and applied independently of positive law (the express enacte ...
in US law. Judith Wagner DeCew stated, "''Pavesich'' was the first case to recognize privacy as a right in tort law by invoking natural law, common law, and constitutional values." it has been cited in 209 US legal cases, including 4
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
cases.
List of cases citing Pavesich
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The case revolved around the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company (now MetLife
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...
) using an image of Paolo Pavesich in an advertisement that Pavesich considered a breach of privacy and libelous.
External links
Text of the Case
References
Georgia (U.S. state) case law
United States privacy case law
1905 in United States case law
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