Court upholds summary disposition of defamation claim; grants complete immunity to reports of suspected crime

In Eddington v. Torrez, et al., the plaintiff attempted to sue the man who claimed that Eddington had attempted to steal gas from a gas station.  Although making such a claim of theft is defamation per se, the Court ruled that Eddington could not pursue a claim of defamation because a theft report to police is "absolutely privileged" with no exceptions--even for malice.