Republican sues anonymous commenters

[Ravi]

In late April, Jacobson filed a lawsuit against “John and/or Jane Doe” after an anonymous reader posted a comment on Huckleberries Online questioning whether $10,000 allegedly missing from the Kootenai County Central Committee might be “stuffed inside Tina’s blouse.” Two other anonymous readers posted follow-up comments.

“You can’t call someone a thief and expect to get away with it,” Andersen said in court Friday.

Idaho judge considers anonymous comments lawsuit - Spokesman.com - June 1, 2012

 

[Truthmatters]

what if they are a thief?

 

[Ravi]

Then the lawsuit would get thrown out. But I don't think that will happen.

This is based on a law that George W. Bush signed off on a few years ago that basically makes it a crime to post something on the internet anonymously if the target of your post is a known person and the comment is untrue or unprovable.

Should be interesting.

 

[Dr.Drock]

Then the lawsuit would get thrown out. But I don't think that will happen.

This is based on a law that George W. Bush signed off on a few years ago that basically makes it a crime to post something on the internet anonymously if the target of your post is a known person and the comment is untrue or unprovable.

Should be interesting.

Well if it's an over reaching law signed by Bush I'm sure Obama and the super majority of dems got rid of it.

 

[Ravi]

Then the lawsuit would get thrown out. But I don't think that will happen.

This is based on a law that George W. Bush signed off on a few years ago that basically makes it a crime to post something on the internet anonymously if the target of your post is a known person and the comment is untrue or unprovable.

Should be interesting.

Well if it's an over reaching law signed by Bush I'm sure Obama and the super majority of dems got rid of it.

It went mostly unnoticed. Hopefully this case will shine some attention on it and something will be done about it.

 

[Sallow]

In late April, Jacobson filed a lawsuit against “John and/or Jane Doe” after an anonymous reader posted a comment on Huckleberries Online questioning whether $10,000 allegedly missing from the Kootenai County Central Committee might be “stuffed inside Tina’s blouse.” Two other anonymous readers posted follow-up comments.

“You can’t call someone a thief and expect to get away with it,” Andersen said in court Friday.

Idaho judge considers anonymous comments lawsuit - Spokesman.com - June 1, 2012

Funny..no such law exists for anonymous donors and the lying adverts they buy.

 

[Ravi]

In late April, Jacobson filed a lawsuit against “John and/or Jane Doe” after an anonymous reader posted a comment on Huckleberries Online questioning whether $10,000 allegedly missing from the Kootenai County Central Committee might be “stuffed inside Tina’s blouse.” Two other anonymous readers posted follow-up comments.

“You can’t call someone a thief and expect to get away with it,” Andersen said in court Friday.

Idaho judge considers anonymous comments lawsuit - Spokesman.com - June 1, 2012

Funny..no such law exists for anonymous donors and the lying adverts they buy.

That's an excellent point.

 

[Mr.Nick]

Then the lawsuit would get thrown out. But I don't think that will happen.

This is based on a law that George W. Bush signed off on a few years ago that basically makes it a crime to post something on the internet anonymously if the target of your post is a known person and the comment is untrue or unprovable.

Should be interesting.

People get sued for libel/defamation all the time.

Nothing to do with Bush and nothing new....

 

[uscitizen]

Damned frivilous lawsuits.

 

[SniperFire]

rdean is shaking in his boots.

 

[manifold]

In late April, Jacobson filed a lawsuit against “John and/or Jane Doe” after an anonymous reader posted a comment on Huckleberries Online questioning whether $10,000 allegedly missing from the Kootenai County Central Committee might be “stuffed inside Tina’s blouse.” Two other anonymous readers posted follow-up comments.

“You can’t call someone a thief and expect to get away with it,” Andersen said in court Friday.

Idaho judge considers anonymous comments lawsuit - Spokesman.com - June 1, 2012

that's worth a double

 

[Ravi]

Bad news.

Limits of free speech in the online age were upheld this week, when a district court judge in Idaho ruled that a local newspaper, the Spokesman-Review would have to turn over the identity of an anonymous commenter who has been sued for defamation by a local Republican Party official.

Judge Orders Idaho’s Spokesman-Review Newspaper To Identify Anonymous Commenter | TPM Idea Lab

 

[Intense]

I don't think they should disclose anything.

 

[manifold]

A small, tightly knit community of 43,805.

 

[Conservative]

Bad news.

Limits of free speech in the online age were upheld this week, when a district court judge in Idaho ruled that a local newspaper, the Spokesman-Review would have to turn over the identity of an anonymous commenter who has been sued for defamation by a local Republican Party official.

Judge Orders Idaho’s Spokesman-Review Newspaper To Identify Anonymous Commenter | TPM Idea Lab

“There has never been a constitutional right to defame someone, whether you do it to their face, in a newspaper, or anonymously online,” said C. Matthew Andersen, Jacobson’s attorney, in an interview with TPM.

Specifically “almostinnocentbystander” posted a comment asking whether $10,000 allegedly missing from the Kootenai County Republican Party Central Committee might be “stuffed inside Tina’s blouse,” which Andersen argued was defamation through an accusation of embezzlement.

seems like a reasonable decision. You can hide behind the internet and exercise free speech... unless it is defamatory. Freedom of speech does NOT extend to defamation.

 

[hortysir]

Then the lawsuit would get thrown out. But I don't think that will happen.

This is based on a law that George W. Bush signed off on a few years ago that basically makes it a crime to post something on the internet anonymously if the target of your post is a known person and the comment is untrue or unprovable.

Should be interesting.

may as well close 3/4 of this site

 

[Intense]

We should all write in anonymously to the paper. Let them try to process a few million indictments.

 

[Conservative]

I don't think they should disclose anything.

Well, the remarks were defamatory. I don't believe freedom of speech allows defamation. If it did, there would be no such thing as defamation lawsuits.

 

[Intense]

Then the lawsuit would get thrown out. But I don't think that will happen.

This is based on a law that George W. Bush signed off on a few years ago that basically makes it a crime to post something on the internet anonymously if the target of your post is a known person and the comment is untrue or unprovable.

Should be interesting.

may as well close 3/4 of this site

That's the problem with Statist Control Freaks, never enough power or control.

 

[Ravi]

We should all write in anonymously to the paper. Let them try to process a few million indictments.

Wait til they find out what people here say about Al Gore!

This is beyond stupid, IMO.