SF1242 Summary: Correction or Clarification of Defamation Act

• Establishes Minnesota Statutes chapter 553A, creating a framework requiring persons to request corrections or clarifications from publishers before pursuing defamation actions, except when the defendant has already made a correction.

• Requires requests for correction or clarification to be made within 90 days of learning about the publication; failure to request within this timeframe limits recovery to provable economic loss only.

• Defines timely corrections as those published within 25 days of receiving evidence of falsity or 45 days after receiving a correction request, and requires corrections be published with prominence in the same medium as the original statement.

• Allows publishers to offer corrections before trial; acceptance of a conforming offer bars the defamation action, while rejection limits recovery to economic loss and pre-offer litigation expenses unless the plaintiff failed to make a good-faith correction request.

• Applies to all publications including writings, broadcasts, electronic transmissions, and other information forms published on or after August 1, 2013; does not create new claims or expand existing ones.