Woman sues to have name of anonymous web poster revealed

Discussion in 'News' started by UKDarkstar, Jul 3, 2009.

  1. UKDarkstar
    Honorary Member

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    Woman sues to have name of anonymous web poster revealed



    A woman sues a daily newspaper for an anonymous comment made in the discussion forum. She also wanted the name of the anonymous commenter exposed. What happens with this case and others like it could shape the future of online forums.

    ..... the Richmond Register (a daily newspaper in Richmond, KY) ran an article about a young woman who had been kicked out of a mall because the dress she was wearing (one she’d actually purchased at the mall) was too short. An anonymous poster in the online discussion after the article made the statement that she’d actually been kicked out because she’d exposed herself to a woman and her children.

    The dress wearer filed a defamation lawsuit against the poster and subpoenaed the newspaper for the name of the anonymous poster. And the battle is on. The paper is claiming that the anonymous source is proteced under the Kentucky Reporter’s Shield Law (the law that protects journalists from having to disclose confidential sources of published information). They chose this defense because a staff reporter wrote something about the lawsuit and mentioned the offending comment in his piece.

    Full Story : here
     
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Comments

    1. Qs
      Qs
      Do these people have nothing better to do?
    2. wizard
      wizard
      Saw the story earlier in the week, defamation of character though is a big deal for some, especially if a serious reputation is at stake.

      If you're going to post something about someone, have the balls to put your name to it and make sure your facts are straight, apparently the anonymous commenter didn't even see the incident.
    3. zebulebu
      zebulebu
      I suspect that the reason there is a rule about wearing a dress that is too short is because its considered indecent exposure. This is yet another example of the ridiculous situation that allows morons to bring ridiculous lawsuits for absolutely nothing. There will be a financial angle to it somewhere - expect the woman to sue the people who own the mall, the owners of the website of the newspaper where the comment was made and the commenter themselves.

      I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Lawyers = Scum of the Earth
    4. The_Geek
      The_Geek
      Well, 99.99999999999999999999999% of them are. :twisted:
    5. mcbro
      mcbro
      Why should someone be able to post such a malicious rumour without restraint. It wouldnt take much for someone to spread the rumour and before long the women has a reputation. What if the lady had gone for an interview for a new job and the company had done an internet search and had found results linking the women to being a sexual predator towards minors.

      A definition taken from wikipedia;

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