Reckless disregard

Reckless Disregard
Film poster
Directed by	Harvey Hart
Written by	Charles S. Haas
Starring	Tess Harper, Leslie Nielsen, Ronny Cox
Music by	Gil Goldstein
Cinematography	René Verzier
Edited by	Tony Lower
Production company	Telecom Entertainment Inc.
Release date	1985
Running time	120 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Reckless Disregard is a 1985 American film that was directed by Harvey Hart. It stars Tess Harper as a lawyer that must defend a physician against claims of selling prescriptions. After accepting the part Harper commented that the role was different from those she'd played in the past such as "rural mothers".

The film has drawn comparisons to the 1983 Galloway lawsuit against Dan Rather as well as the case of Westmoreland vs. CBS.

Meredith Craig is a small-time lawyer that must defend Edward Lucas, a physician whose practice was ruined after a television show claimed that he sold illegal drug prescriptions. Edward wants Meredith to sue the show, stating that its host Bob Franklin was guilty of libel, as Edward claims innocence.

The Los Angeles Times reviewed the film and drew parallels to the 1983 Galloway lawsuit against Dan Rather.The New York Times made similar comments, stating that "The way reality has been rendered into fiction with ''Reckless Disregard'' illustrates how film makers try to heighten drama by sharpening and simplifying murky issues."People panned the film, writing that "In the wake of Westmoreland vs. CBS, there's a compelling movie to be made about how TV news works, how the producers do all the work and the anchors get all the credit, how interviews are edited, how news and entertainment merge on TV. But this isn't that movie."