Marlboro Community Players v. John Does [1]

New Jersey theater group the Marlboro Community Players filed a defamation suit against 11 John Doe defendants over comments posted on NJ.com's Theater Forum [2]. The Marlboro Players allege that the posters criticized the group with the intent to humiliate and defame the Players and its individual members.  Plaintiff's filings reportedly [3] claim that the statements harmed the group's recruiting efforts and reduced revenue from the group's shows.

The Marlboro Players subpoenaed NJ.com for information regarding the anonymous posters.  Five of the posters hired counsel and opposed the subpoena.  The posters objected on various grounds, including that the statements were not defamatory and that Marlboro Players had included the screen names of all of the John Does in its filings.

In April 2008, the case was put on hold [4] when 11 members of the Marlboro Players sent the judge a letter objecting to the use of the organization's funds for the lawsuit.  The Players then reportedly [5] elected a new board of directors.  The new board dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety before the judge could rule on the subpoenas.