Lawsuits Involving Forum Posts and User Comments

This page lists all lawsuits in the DMLP database that involve blogs. The most recent lawsuits are listed first

  • Rapacchiano v. Visceglia
    Date: 01/08/2007
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Default Judgment, Settled (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: New Jersey
    Publication: Forum, Social Network
    Patrick Rapacchiano sued Anthony and Felice Visceglia for defamation for publishing critical statements about him on Mr. Visceglia's MySpace page and in an online forum. Rapacchiano sued in New Jersey state court, and the Visceglias failed to answer. The court appears to... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 10/18/2007 - 11:29am - 0 comments
  • DirectBuy v. Leonard
    Date: 09/21/2007
    Status:
    Disposition:
    Type: Correspondence
    Jurisdiction: Arizona
    Publication: Forum
    Justin Leonard of Scottsdale, Arizona publishes three websites: infomercialblog.com, infomercialratings.com, and infomercialscams.com. These websites give consumers the opportunity to voice their criticisms and defenses of various products and services. On September 21, 2007, DirectBuy, a company... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 10/18/2007 - 9:51am - 0 comments
  • Cubby v. Compuserve
    Date: 01/01/1990
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (partial), Withdrawn
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: New York
    Publication: Forum
    In this landmark internet case, internet service provider Compuserve was absolved from liability for content hosted on its servers. Don Fitzpatrick published a daily newsletter called "Rumorville" that provided news and gossip pieces about the journalism industry and individual reporters. Rumorville... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 10/15/2007 - 10:42am - 0 comments
  • Stratton Oakmont v. Prodigy
    Date: 05/24/1995
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Settled (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: New York
    Publication: Forum
    In October 1994, an unknown user posted statements on Prodigy's "Money Talk" bulletin board indicating that Stratton Oakmont, Inc., a Long Island securities brokerage firm, and its president, Daniel Porush, had committed criminal and fraudulent acts in connection with the initial public... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 10/15/2007 - 10:45am - 0 comments
  • Covington v. King
    Date: 06/11/2007
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Oklahoma
    Publication: Forum
    Sometime in 2007, statements appeared on Harold King's forum site, "McAlister Watercooler," questioning the legality of Steve Covington's payday loan business and linking him to a former State Senator who had pled guilty to charges of perjury, conspiracy to obstruct a Federal... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 10/09/2007 - 5:25pm - 0 comments
  • Best Western v. Doe
    Date: 06/16/2006
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Arizona
    Publication: Forum
    Best Western International (BWI) is a non-profit organization whose members operate Best Western hotels around the world. In May 2006, the website "www.freewrites.com" was established as a forum for BWI members and "governors" to discuss matters about BWI administration on a confidential... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/26/2007 - 12:02pm - 0 comments
  • Alvis Coatings, Inc. v. Does
    Date: 07/30/2004
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Withdrawn
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: North Carolina
    Publication: Forum
    Alvis Coatings sells coating products, including "Alvis Spray-on Siding". The company filed a John Doe lawsuit in 2004 in North Carolina federal court against ten anonymous defendants, alleging that certain anonymous postings about its products violated the Lanham Act and North... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/24/2007 - 5:04pm - 0 comments
  • Hollis v. Joseph
    Date: 05/31/2006
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
    Publication: Forum
    Todd Hollis objected to the description posted about him on DontDateHimGirl.com, a website that allows women to post about men and warn other women about them. Mr. Hollis sued Tasha Joseph/Cunningham, the operator of the website, alleging defamation in Pennsylvania state court,... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 4:16pm - 0 comments
  • Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. v. Clabuesch
    Date: 03/15/2007
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Settled (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Arizona
    Publication: Blog, Email, Forum, Print
    The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company sued David Clabuesch a Michigan probate judge, and his company, ThumbCo, for breach of contract and defamation relating to actions and statements Clabuesch allegedly made concerning an antique car the company sold for him. Barrett-Jackson claims in its... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments
  • Guajome Park Academy v. DuPerry
    Date: 03/24/2006
    Status: Pending
    Disposition: Settled (partial)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Forum
    A group of former school employees started a website called Guajome Underground to rally school students, parents, and current and former employees to remove the school superintendent. The school claims that it discovered numerous instances of unauthorized access to a school database... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments
  • Hagele v. Hanson
    Date: 03/02/2006
    Status: Pending
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Email, Forum, Website
    In January 2003, Brent Hanson filed a lawsuit against Glenn Hagele in the Illinois state court. The Illinois court dismissed the case. In May 2005, Hanson published on his website, LasikFraud.com, a letter which purported to be from "ACE Judgment... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments
  • Yoon v. Carney
    Date: 03/22/2007
    Status: Pending
    Disposition:
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Email, Forum
    Joanne Yoon filed suit against Jeff Schwilk, the founder of San Diego Minutemen, Sharon Bush, and activist Ray Carney, for defamation over comments and a photograph posted to a password-protected Yahoo group, which implied that she was a prostitute. She also challenged... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments
  • Scheff v. Bock
    Date: 12/31/2003
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Default Judgment
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Florida
    Publication: Forum
    Carey Bock hired Sue Scheff's company, Parents Universal Resource Experts (PURE) which provides referral services for families of teenagers with behavioral problems, to help withdraw her sons from a boarding school in Costa Rica. Scheff put Bock in touch with a consultant,... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments
  • Banks v. Milum
    Date: 06/16/2004
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Verdict (plaintiff)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Georgia
    Publication: Forum
    David Milum, upset with his lawyer Rafe Banks over the handling of a prior case, demanded that Banks pay back the $3,000 in fees he had received. When Banks refused, Milum posted entries on the Forsyth County Political Forum, a... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments
  • Donato v. Moldow
    Date: 07/25/2001
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total), Subpoena Quashed
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: New Jersey
    Publication: Forum
    Stephen Moldow established the website "Eye on Emerson" in late 1999. He posted information about local government activities, including minutes of meetings of the borough council, planning board and board of education. Public opinion polls were conducted on the site, which included... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments
  • Landmark Education LLC v. Ross
    Date: 06/25/2004
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Withdrawn
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: New Jersey
    Publication: Broadcast, Forum, Website
    Landmark Education is a for-profit company engaged in the business of making "education programs" available to the general public and corporations, on subjects including communication, time management, and productivity. Its basic program is "The Forum" -- a three day/one evening seminar... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments
  • Sierra Corporate Design v. Falk
    Date: 06/14/2005
    Status: Pending
    Disposition: Dismissed (partial), Injunction Issued, Verdict (plaintiff)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: North Dakota
    Publication: Forum, Website
    Sierra Corporate Design ("Sierra"), a self-described "specialized Internet service provider and web hosting provider," sued Ed Falk, an anti-spam campaigner and operator of the "Spam Tracking Page," and David Ritz, a member of one of Falk's Usenet groups, in North Dakota state... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments
  • State of Oklahoma (Gene Stipe) v. King
    Date: 08/16/2005
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Withdrawn
    Type: Criminal Investigation
    Jurisdiction: Oklahoma
    Publication: Forum
    Harold King runs the forum site "McAlester Watercooler," which he describes as a forum for citizens of McAlester, Oklahoma to "voice their views about the on-going City events." In August 2005, former state senator Gene Stipe filed a police report... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments
  • DiMeo v. Max
    Date: 04/12/2006
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
    Publication: Forum
    Anthony DiMeo III, blueberry farm heir and operator of publicity firm Renamity, threw a New Years Eve party on December 31, 2005 that did not end well -- the district court judge referred to it as "the ... party from hell." Tucker... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:59pm - 1 comments
  • AutoAdmit
    Date: 06/08/2007
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Settled (total), Subpoena Enforced
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Connecticut
    Publication: Forum
    Two female Yale Law School students, captioned as Does I & II, sued Anthony Ciolli, the former chief education director of the popular law school admissions forum, AutoAdmit, and a host of pseudonymous users of the forum over vulgar, sexually... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2007 - 3:59pm - 0 comments

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