Tag Archives: Defamation

TechCrunch Founder’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Ex

Posted on May 16, 2013 by kiki
online marketing lawyer
Tech industry luminary, Michael Arrington, filed a defamation lawsuit against ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Allen. Accusations of sexual and emotional abuse, which Allen spewed across the Internet, triggered the case. Arrington hasn’t announced a dollar amount yet, but he is asking for general and special damages. That said, all court ordered awards will probably land in the coffers of a lucky charity. The Players In This Ex-Lover Defamation Lawsuit Michael Arrington founded TechCrunch – a wildly popular tech news blog. In 2010, he sold his blog-baby to AOL for a cool $30 million. Now, he’s a tech investor on the speaking circuit. Jennifer Allen was Arrington’s on-again/off-again lover who lived in San Francisco. Defamation Lawsuit Against Ex: What Happened To Prompt The Filing? The fracas began on March 29, 2013. According to reports, at that time, Allen started posting salacious stories on ...
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Facebook Defamation: Can I Sue An Anonymous Facebook Group Creator?

Posted on May 9, 2013 by kiki
Facebook lawsuits
Facebook Defamation Legal Questions Is it possible to sue Facebook for defamation? Can you file a libel claim against the creator of a Facebook group? As an online libel legal practice, we hear these two Facebook defamation questions quite a bit. Below is a brief explanation of who is liable, under United States law, for defamatory material on Facebook. Can I Sue An Individual Who Defames Me On Their Personal or Business Facebook Page? Yes. If a person posts an untrue, harmful statement about you on their Facebook timeline – or anywhere else in their account that is accessible by more than 1 person – you can sue for online libel. Remember, though, that statements of opinion, in addition to parody and satire, are not regarded as defamatory in the United States. Moreover, different standards of proof apply for public ...
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Jerk.com Legal Matters: Personal Review Website Under FTC Investigation

Posted on May 8, 2013 by kiki
academic defamation
Review Websites Are An Internet Staple RipOffReport, Yelp and other niche market review sites are Internet staples. And while review websites can sometimes present a problem for businesses, they can also serve as great advertising tool. Sure, a surly customer could sully your reputation for a stint, but more often than not, happy customers share glowing testimonials, which helps boost business. A New Type Of Online Review Site (It’s Now Getting Personal) At around the time social media started to take hold, a new type of “review site” grew in popularity. People got bored with rating products and services. So, they gravitated to new types of review sites – ones where users “reviewed” each other. In fact, if you believe Aaron Sorkin’s Facebook creation myth, a crude version of a “Hot or Not” site was the genesis of Zuckerburg’s now ...
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Twitter Defamation Questions: Can I Be Sued For Libel If I Talk About Defamatory Material On Social Media?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by kiki
Defamation Law
Is it unlawful to re-tweet a defamatory statement? What happens if you talk about a libelous article on a social media platform – is that the same as making the defamatory comment yourself? A California judge recently ruled on these online defamation legal questions. Her decision: just because you discuss a potentially defamatory article via social media doesn’t mean you will be held liable for libel. You can be; but not always. Twitter Defamation Lawsuit Background According to reports, on September 13, 2011, Devin Ebanks – a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers – left a club with a woman. Later that night, the woman was in contact with law enforcement officials; she claimed Ebanks raped her. She insisted that he forced himself on her; he insisted that they never had sex. The night of the incident, the woman made ...
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Internet Defamation Lawsuits: Brian Burke v. Bloggers

Posted on May 2, 2013 by kiki
mugshot-website-lawyer
The NHL playoffs are underway – and so is an Internet defamation legal battle initiated by notorious GM, Brian Burke. The former Toronto Maple Leafs executive is suing over insinuations that he and Sportsnet anchor, Hazel Mae, had an affair. An affair that allegedly produced an heir. In addition to monetary damages, Burke wants to unmask 18 anonymous online commentators and bar them from posting defamatory content in the future. Brian Burke’s Internet Defamation Lawsuit: The Background A few days before this year’s NHL season started, notoriously blunt NHL general manager – who favors “belligerence” and “truculence” – Brian Burke, got the boot from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Most assumed his ousting was a result of the failed Luongo trade. Several bloggers, however, attributed Burke’s canning to an extra marital affair with a TV sport’s reporter — Hazel Mae. Rumors ...
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UK Defamation Reform, Leveson & The Blogger Question

Posted on April 24, 2013 by kiki
uk-defamation-reform
After 48 months of lobbying, three public consultations, two working groups and seven parliamentary debates, the UK defamation reform bill passed in the UK’s House of Lords. Leading up to yesterday’s vote, speculation swirled as to whether or not the law would even be introduced for a vote. But it was, and it passed, so, sayonara 170-year-old UK libel laws. Congratulations Brits, you’ve finally lost your title of the “libel tourism capital of the world.” Lord Lester’s UK Defamation Reform Bill Venerated UK human rights lawyer, Lord Lester, is the political spearhead of the UK’s defamation reform bill, though the movement included other politicians, citizen activists and media watch groups. For nearly half a decade, defamation reform advocates pushed to: (1)    bolster free speech protection for the press – including bloggers and online media outlets;  and (2)    diminish the number ...
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Can I Be Sued For Slander If I Don’t Use the Person’s Name?

Posted on April 17, 2013 by kiki
slander-no-name
“Can I be sued for slander if…..?” Defamation is one of the most threatened lawsuits in the United States. It’s also a very most misunderstood tort. While it’s true that it is tougher to win a slander or libel lawsuit in the United States than in other countries, many plaintiffs do emerge victorious – even plaintiffs who aren’t named directly by their accuser. The First Amendment Makes Winning Defamation Lawsuits Difficult, But Not Impossible Thanks to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, defamation laws in the U.S. are decidedly defendant-friendly. Unless a statement is blatantly false, and has a deleterious effect on a person’s or entity’s reputation, it’s tough to prove defamation – but it’s not impossible. You Can Be Sued For Slander Even If You Don’t Use The Person’s Name Our nation’s free speech rights erroneously lead ...
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Mistranslation Defamation

Posted on April 16, 2013 by kiki
defamation-mistranslation
During the 2012 elections, many people clamored for President Obama’s school records. He declined to produce them, arguing college academic records have no effect on governing. An educator in Hong Kong, however, is bending over backwards to make sure every man, woman and child is familiar with a sub-par university grade, because if he can convince a judge of his long-time struggle with the English language, he may successfully defend himself against defamation charges. The case also raises the question: can you be sued for mistranslating? Parent Files Complaint; Principal Uses Incorrect English Word To Describe Complaint The mistranslation defamation melee started several months ago when a parent at the Wah Yan College – a well-known Catholic secondary school on Hong Kong Island – submitted a complaint about a teacher named Shiu Han-po. The principal of the school, George Tam ...
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Texas Defamation Law Changes On The Way?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by kiki
texas-laws
Soon, it may become difficult to sue for defamation in Texas. In addition to the Lone Star State’s anti-SLAPP statute – which aims to discourage questionable defamation lawsuits – legislators are considering a new proposal that would encourage defamation resolutions that don’t involve the court. The main impetus for the bill is lessening the number of slander and libel lawsuits currently cluttering benches across the state. By passing, legislators hope to give media outlets and would-be defamation plaintiffs a viable, equitable avenue to rectify defamation battles before they begin. Administrative Basics of HB 1759 – Texas’ New Defamation Law Proposal Todd Hunter – a Republican representative from Corpus Christi – is the primary sponsor of HB 1759. According to reports, the proposed law is meant to thwart costly and time consuming slander and libel lawsuits. If passed, the new Texas ...
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Anonymous Defamation: Can I Sue If I Only Know The Defamer’s Internet Alias?

Posted on February 26, 2013 by kiki
anti_bigmouth
Can you sue an anonymous person who is defaming you online? An Arizona Superior Court judge recently ruled “yes,” it is possible to get an injunction against an unidentified person who is engaging in online anonymous defamation. In a precedent setting case, a group of attorneys represented by Kelly Warner Law brought an action against an unnamed attorney hater who used the Internet to spread tall tales. What made the case atypical was the lack of information the plaintiffs had on the defendants — they only had the culprit’s phony online usernames. Anonymous Defamation Lawsuit: Background Several months ago, a tech-savvy bounder besmirched a handful of lawyers on several websites. The statements posted were false and vile. Being well-versed in the ways of online obfuscation, in addition to using aliases, the legal heckler connected to the Internet via a virtual ...
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