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Wardrobe malfunction ruling favors network

PHILADELPHIA — In the latest court battle over the steamy 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that CBS should not be fined $550,000 for Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction.”

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals held its ground even after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a review after its ruling in a related Fox television case. In that case, the high court said the Federal Communications Commission could threaten fines over the use of even a single curse word uttered on live TV.

But Circuit Judge Marjorie Rendell said the Fox case only “fortifies our opinion” that the FCC was wrong to fine CBS over the halftime show.

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