T & J Towing of Kalamazoo, Mich. has filed a lawsuit demanding $750,000 from the Western Michigan University student who started the Facebook page “Kalamazoo Residents Against T&J Towing“. [WOOD and Consumerist via Switched; Kalamazoo Gazette (Facebook group reaches 10,000 members); & welcome Kashmir Hill/Above the Law readers]
Posts Tagged ‘libel slander and defamation’
Update: British chiropractors drop lawsuit against Simon Singh
They’re dropping the case rather than pursuing an appeal, so aside from having dragged him through a miserable and expensive process, it’s a happy ending. [Respectful Insolence, Popehat; earlier here, etc.]
“Man spends $7,000 defending himself in suit filed by eBay seller”
Michael Steadman posted a negative review on eBay over a $44 clock that he didn’t think worked as advertised. He’s already spent $7,000 defending himself against the defamation suit filed by the seller, who is a Miami Beach lawyer. [Orlando Sentinel, Obscure Store]
April 12 roundup
- Town counsel of Southborough, Mass. considering legal action against online critic [Evan Lips/MetroWest Daily News, Jacob Sullum/Reason, Aspen Daily News]
- “Drowning in laughter”: pic of ill-advised safety sign [Turley]
- Canadian lawyer accused of fabricating evidence of jury tampering [Times Colonist h/t @ErikMagraken]
- One union (SEIU) wins $1.5 million verdict against another (NUHW) [Fox, Jottings]
- “Anti-Law School Blogs Seek to Keep Others from Making ‘Same Mistake We Did'” [Legal Blog Watch, WSJ Law Blog] Instruction at University of Texas law school has room for improvement [Blackbook Legal] Chief Justice Roberts: law review articles aren’t particularly helpful for practitioners or judges [WSJ Law Blog]
- “Illinois Hospital Loses Tax-Exempt Status for Not Being Charitable Enough” [NLJ]
- “Cyber-bullying” proposal in Suffolk County, N.Y. could criminalize repeated insults [Volokh]
“Where’s the State Action in Tort Awards Based on Speech?” [same] - George Will: administration “can imagine the world without the internal combustion engine but not without Chrysler” [WaPo/syndicated]
“TheStreet stands up to Generex’s bullying”
A Canadian biotechnology company has filed a $250 million lawsuit against a well-known Wall Street commentary site over coverage by reporter Adam Feuerstein. “To put that number in context, it’s roughly twice Generex’s market cap.” [Felix Salmon, Reuters]
Update: judge tosses anti-vaccinationist’s libel suit
Respectful Insolence, last month:
Well, that didn’t take long.
Remember when the grande dame of the anti-vaccine movement, Barbara Loe Fisher, decided that she would try to harass, intimidate, and silence Paul Offit through the filing of a frivolous libel suit against Dr. Offit, Amy Wallace (the journalist who interviewed Offit for an excellent article last year), and Condé Nast, the publisher of WIRED, which ran the article? Well, the judge has ruled, and that ruling is…dismissed.
April 6 roundup
- “Trademark Infringement Suit by AAJ Against Another Trial Lawyer Group to Go to Trial” [Qualters, NLJ]
- NPR covers SLAPP suits [On the Media]
- Wi-fi, junk science, loser-pays and lawsuit lunacy [Popehat, Chicago Tribune, earlier here and here]
- Metro-East Illinois attorney Rex Carr told to pay $635K in sanctions for bad faith suits against former partners [Belleville News-Democrat, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Courthouse News]
- Sheep with the bends: “Animal Rights Groups Getting Clever With the Law” [WSJ Law Blog]
- Canada: “Comedian Charged With Human Rights Violation By Lesbian Insulted At Club” [Turley]
- Princeton freshman sues after being denied extra time to complete test [Princeton Packet via Obscure Store]
- Eric Turkewitz: why my April Fool’s prank wasn’t an ethical violation under NY rules [New York Personal Injury Law Blog] Update: Colin Samuels recounts the whole affair at Infamy or Praise.
Update: Australian court throws out libel suit against game critic
Court rules for Simon Singh in UK libel suit
A big day for the free pursuit of truth [Guardian]:
Singh was accused of libel by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) over an opinion piece he wrote in the Guardian in April 2008. In the article, he criticised the BCA for claiming its members could use spinal manipulation to treat children with colic, ear infections, asthma, sleeping and feeding conditions and prolonged crying. He described the treatments as “bogus” and based on insufficient evidence and criticised the BCA for “happily promoting” them. The BCA denies these criticisms.
And a less happy angle [BBC]:
Dr Singh described the ruling as “brilliant”, but added that the action had cost £200,000 “just to define the meaning of a few words”.
Village Voice gets Martin Singer nastygram
And prints a saucy response. Earlier here, here, etc.