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

  • Zwebner v. Doe
    Date: 09/02/2003
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Florida
    Publication: Forum
    Michael J. Zwebner, CEO of penny-stock holding company Universal Communication Systems, sued a number of "Doe" defendants over statements on the Raging Bull financial message board that were critical of him and his company.  Zwebner's 300+ page complaint seeks damages... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/21/2008 - 7:00pm - 0 comments
  • Zwebner v. Coughlin
    Date: 06/21/2005
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Forum
    Michael J. Zwebner, CEO of penny-stock holding company Universal Communication Systems, sued James Coughlin, a.k.a. IrishJim44, and 25 "Doe" defendants over statements on the Raging Bull financial message board that were critical of him and his company. According to the... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/21/2008 - 6:23pm - 0 comments
  • Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. v. McManus
    Date: 09/05/2007
    Status: Pending
    Disposition:
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Florida
    Publication: Forum, Website
    Odyssey Marine Exploration, a company involved in shipwreck salvaging, sued Jim McManus, a diver and a director of a UK-based historical website, for defamation in Florida state court.  Odyssey contends that McManus defamed it in postings to its Yahoo! Finance message board... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/17/2008 - 6:52pm - 0 comments
  • The Oklahoma Publishing Company v. Conradt
    Date: 07/14/2008
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Material Removed, Retraction Issued, Settled (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Oklahoma
    Publication: Forum, Website
    The Oklahoma Publishing Company and one of its reporters, Jacob Trotter, sued James W. Conradt in federal court in Oklahoma in July 2008, after he posted a fake article that mimicked the appearance of the publishing company's NewsOK.com... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/15/2008 - 6:52pm - 0 comments
  • Goldhaber v. Kohlenberg
    Date: 01/16/2004
    Status: Pending
    Disposition:
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: New Jersey
    Publication: Forum
    Danna and Richard Goldhaber sued Charles Kohlenberg for defamation in New Jersey state court after Kohlenberg allegedly posted derogatory comments about them on an Internet newsgroup devoted to cruises and cruise ships. Kohlenberg did not appear in the New Jersey action... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/12/2008 - 5:50pm - 0 comments
  • Vogel v. Felice
    Date: 09/01/2001
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Email, Forum, Website
    In September 2001, John Vogel and Paul Grannis, who at the time were candidates for public office, sued Joseph Felice for libel, false light invasion of privacy, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. According to legal filings in the... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/11/2008 - 10:25pm - 0 comments
  • Bidbay.com v. Bruce Spry Jr.
    Date: 04/02/2002
    Status: Pending
    Disposition:
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Forum
    Internet auction website Bidbay.com and its president and CEO, George Tannous, sued Bruce Spry Jr. and two of its competitors for libel, intentional interference with prospective business advantage, unfair business practices, invasion of privacy, and disparagement in California state court.  According to... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/10/2008 - 5:37pm - 0 comments
  • Parker v. Learn The Skills
    Date: 04/07/2006
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Delaware
    Publication: Forum
    Gordon Roy Parker (aka Ray Gordon), who runs a business teaching men how better to seduce women, sued several of his "seduction business" competitors for defamation, false advertising, unfair competition, tortious interference, antitrust violations, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations ("RICO") Act violations,... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/03/2008 - 3:38pm - 0 comments
  • Dailey v. Popma
    Date: 09/01/2006
    Status: Pending
    Disposition: Dismissed (partial)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: North Carolina
    Publication: Forum
    North Carolina resident Jack Dailey filed a defamation suit against Donald Popma after Popma allegedly criticized him in Internet postings. According to court documents, Dailey claimed that Popma and co-defendant R. W. Beavers accused him of being a crook, a liar, and... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 09/03/2008 - 1:31pm - 0 comments
  • Highfields Capital Management v. Doe
    Date: 07/29/2004
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Subpoena Quashed, Withdrawn
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California, Massachusetts
    Publication: Forum
    Highfields Capital Management sued an anonymous user of a Yahoo! forum about the company Silicon Graphics, Inc. ("SGI"), of which Highfields was the largest shareholder.  Using the name "highfieldscapital," the user posted three messages allegedly suggesting that Highfields... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/29/2008 - 1:30pm - 0 comments
  • ViroLogic v. Does
    Date: 04/23/2002
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Settled (total), Subpoena Enforced
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Forum
    ViroLogic, a biotechnology company, sued ten anonymous users of the Yahoo! Finance forum dedicated to it, after they allegedly posted internal ViroLogic information and made statements critical of the company and its officers. The original complaint included claims for defamation, trade... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/27/2008 - 7:01pm - 0 comments
  • Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals v. Does
    Date: 12/12/2000
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total), Subpoena Quashed
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Forum
    Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals ("HEPH") sued several anonymous users of a Yahoo! forum in California state court for defamation, trade libel, and tortious interference after the posters criticized the company and its management on the Yahoo! Message Board devoted to the company. According... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/27/2008 - 6:40pm - 0 comments
  • Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law v. Craigslist
    Date: 02/03/2006
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Illinois
    Publication: Forum
    The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law ("CLC") sued craigslist for violations of the Fair Housing Act ("FHA") arising from its users' postings of allegedly discriminatory housing ads on the popular classfied advertising site. Craigslist hosts ads... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/27/2008 - 6:10pm - 0 comments
  • SPX Corp. v. Doe
    Date: 03/01/2002
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Ohio
    Publication: Forum
    SPX sued a pseudonymous user of a Yahoo! forum as a John Doe for defamation in Ohio state court after the user accused SPX of illegal and immoral business conduct. According to court documents, Doe criticized SPX and its business... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/27/2008 - 5:43pm - 0 comments
  • IT Service Management Forum USA v. Prunty
    Date: 12/07/2007
    Status: Pending
    Disposition: Subpoena Enforced
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: California
    Publication: Forum
    IT Service Management Forum USA (ITSMF), a nonprofit organization supporting IT professionals, filed a defamation lawsuit against its former executive director, James Prunty, alleging that he attempted to discredit the organization by posting comments on the IT Skeptic... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/27/2008 - 5:45pm - 0 comments
  • State of Oklahoma (Miller) v. King
    Date: 08/12/2008
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Subpoena Enforced, 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 2008, local District Attorney Jim Bob Miller filed an offense... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/20/2008 - 11:44am - 0 comments
  • Vision Media TV Group v. Richard
    Date: 07/18/2008
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total)
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Florida
    Publication: Blog, Forum
    Production company Vision Media TV (VMT) sued blogger Leslie Richard after she accused the company of scamming small businesses in her blog and on an Internet forum. VMT's complaint asked for $20 million in damages, alleging claims of defamation, tortious interference... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/18/2008 - 4:56pm - 0 comments
  • McGeorge Camping Center v. Affinity Group
    Date: 12/13/2007
    Status: Pending
    Disposition:
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Virginia
    Publication: Forum
    Recreational vehicle dealership McGeorge Camping Center ("McGeorge") sued Affinity Group ("Affinity"), operator of the RV.Net Open Roads Forum, and several posters to the forum. The case revolves around statements accusing certain commenters who made positive statements about McGeorge... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/13/2008 - 6:15pm - 0 comments
  • Immunomedics v. Doe
    Date: 10/12/2000
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Subpoena Enforced
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: New Jersey
    Publication: Forum
    Pharmaceutical company Immunomedics sued "moonshine_fr," a company employee who allegedly posted confidential internal documents on a Yahoo! Finance message board, and several John Does in New Jersey state court on claims of breach of contract, breach of duty of loyalty,... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/13/2008 - 2:32pm - 0 comments
  • Universal Communication Systems v. Lycos
    Date: 07/02/2004
    Status: Concluded
    Disposition: Dismissed (total), Injunction Denied
    Type: Lawsuit
    Jurisdiction: Florida, Massachusetts
    Publication: Forum
    Universal Communication Systems ("UCS") and its CEO, Michael Zwebner, sued Lycos, its Spanish parent company Terra Networks, and several anonymous users of Lycos's Raging Bull forum after the anonymous users created a forum about UCS and criticized the company there.... read full description
    Legal Threat - - 08/11/2008 - 5:49pm - 0 comments

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