Justices agree to hear airline defamation case

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to consider whether an airline had legal immunity from a defamation claim after employees reported a disgruntled colleague to federal authorities as a possible security risk. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp, a subsidiary of Harbor Diversified Inc, says it is immune from the claims made by former pilot William Hoeper under a law passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks that encouraged airlines to share security concerns. The 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act granted the airlines immunity from possible defamation suits as long as such reports were not intentionally false or misleading.