1.   Lord Mackay appeared to rule out an extension of legal aid to cover defamation cases.

2.   And there is no shortage of multimillion-dollar judgments by juries deciding defamation cases.

3.   According to Woocher, most defamation cases are thrown out in their early stages.

4.   After five contentious months, the judge in the Tawana Brawley defamation case tried but failed to open settlement talks Tuesday.

5.   After nearly seven months of bitter confrontation, legal wrangling and bizarre courtroom behavior, the Tawana Brawley defamation case appears to be stampeding toward a close.

6.   For months, news reports from the Tawana Brawley defamation case have focused on courtroom screaming matches.

7.   In Justice Barrett Hickman, the same judge who has presided over the Tawana Brawley defamation case, Heelan and his fellow plaintiffs have apparently found a sympathetic ear.

8.   Lawyers are expected in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on Tuesday for a scheduling conference and possibly for discussion of matters relating to the defamation case.

9.   Nearly eight months after the trial began, the six jurors in the Tawana Brawley defamation case began deliberations Wednesday.