In 1984 John Wayne Hearn put a classified ad in Soldier of Fortune seeking “high risk assignments” and other work for ex-Marines and weapons specialists. Robert Black Jr. saw it and ended up hiring Hearn to murder his wife Sandra for $10,000. Both were convicted of the crime. But Sandra Black’s mother and 18-year-old son also blamed Soldier of Fortune and filed a $22.5 million negligence suit against the combative, Rambo-lining magazine. Last week a federal jury in Houston ordered the magazine to pay $9.4 million in damages. “We’re sending out a message to other publishers that ads placed in a certain context can be very dangerous,” said the jury’s foreman. The – magazine will appeal, arguing that free speech would be inhibited if it had to scrutinize every ad message for veiled implications.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Scams
- Introducing TIME's 2024 Latino Leaders
- How to Make an Argument That’s Actually Persuasive
- Did the Pandemic Break Our Brains?
- 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
- The Ordained Rabbi Who Bought a Porn Company
- Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
- The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024
Contact us at letters@time.com