TV & VIDEO - April 27, 1989

A $16-million defamation suit filed against commentator-humorist Andy Rooney by a company that didn’t like his consumer report on its product has been thrown out by a judge in Phoenix. Unelko Corp. of Scottsdale, Ariz., the maker of Rain-X, a liquid that is supposed to make rain and snow roll off windshields, had sued Rooney over remarks he made about the product during a 1988 “60 Minutes” broadcast. U.S. District Judge Robert C. Broomfield ruled that Rooney’s comments about Rain-X were the commentator’s opinion and thus legally protected. The judge agreed with a statement Rooney made on television after the suit was filed. “This fellow sent me his product to evaluate, and I did,” Rooney said. “Was I only expected to comment on it if I loved it?”