Did I see the cop follow him into the barber shop and try to get him trespassed?
Yes he did. The arrogance, the insolence and the stupidity is something which if you hear about something like that means far less I suspect than actually seeing and hearing it.
As for for the "barbershop incident", I have briefly reviewed the complaint filed in the US 3rd Circuit and I don't recall seeing anything about defamation ...
"Defamatory" communication is defined as communication that tends to harm the reputation of another so "as to lower him [or her] in the estimation of the community or to deter third persons from associating or dealing with him [or her]."
Actual harm to reputation is not necessary for a statement to be defamatory, and the statement need not actually result in a third person's refusal to deal with the object of the statement; rather the words used must merely be likely to have such an effect.
For this reason, if the person defamed already looks so bad in the eyes of the community that his or her reputation could not be made worse, or if the statements are made by someone who has no credibility, there will not be a strong case for defamation.
"Community" does not refer to the entire community, but rather to a "substantial and respectable minority" of the community.
Even more specifically, the community is not necessarily seen as the community at large, but rather as the "relevant" community.
... but as I understand it, should the court allow, the plaintiff has time to amend the complaint, adding a charge of defamation against one or more of the defendants.
As I see it and have known it to be, PPD leadership is slow to learn but as repeat defendants in a federal forum, starting with Nutter, some of those people might actually begin to wise up before they themselves are personally bankrupted and/or jailed.
tyc