Deadlock over psychoanalyst libel

One of the most hotly debated libel trials ever held in the United States was drawing to a close after a jury unanimously agreed that Jeffrey Masson, a psychoanalyst, was defamed by the New Yorker magazine, Phil Reeves reports from Los Angeles.

But jurors had yet to declare a verdict, as they were deadlocked over how much in damages to award. The case may mean a tightening of the libel laws. Dr Masson sued Janet Malcolm, a star writer on the magazine, for dollars 7.5m ( pounds 4.8m) after she wrote a profile exploring his iconoclastic views. He claimed she fabricated several quotes.