Recent Threats Added to the DMLP Database

NOTE: The information and commentary contained in this database entry are based on court filings and other informational sources that may contain unproven allegations made by the parties. The truthfulness and accuracy of such information is likely to be in dispute. Information contained in this entry is current as of the last event mentioned in the "Description" section below; additional proceedings might have taken place in this matter since this event.

Cruse v. Teacher Smackdown

Date: 05/15/2008
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Arkansas
Publication: Blog
Loretta DiAnne Cruse, a former special-ed teacher at Norfolk Elementary School in Arkansas, sued the Teacher Smackdown website, 451 Press, LLC, which operates the website, and various individuals associated with it, including professional blogger Anne-Marie Nichols, for defamation and other...
- 06/06/2008 - 4:04pm - 0 comments

State of Indiana v. A.B.

Date: 03/02/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Verdict (defendant)
Type: Criminal Charge
Jurisdiction: Indiana
Publication: Social Network
The State of Indiana filed a delinquency petition against a Greencastle Middle School student who had posted derogatory and "vulgar" criticism of the school's anti-body-piercing policy on the social networking site MySpace. The student, referred to in court documents as A.B.,...
- 06/06/2008 - 2:30pm - 0 comments

Revell v. Lidov

Date: 06/12/2000
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Texas
Publication: Forum, Print
Oliver "Buck" Revell, former associate deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, filed a defamation lawsuit against medical professor Hart G.W. Lidov and Columbia University after Lidov wrote and posted an article critizing Revell on the Columbia Journalism Review's...
- 06/05/2008 - 4:38pm - 0 comments

Dominick v. MySpace

Date: 05/12/2008
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Withdrawn
Type: Subpoena
Jurisdiction: Illinois
Publication: Social Network
In May 2008, Larry Dominick, the Town President of Cicero, Illinois, filed a "Petition for Discovery" in Illinois state court, seeking information from social networking site MySpace regarding a user who had created false profiles purporting to be Dominick. The petition asked...
- 06/05/2008 - 1:50pm - 0 comments

Blumenthal v. Drudge

Date: 08/27/1997
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (partial), Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
Publication: Email, Website
Sidney Blumenthal, a former White House Assistant, and his wife Jacqueline sued Matt Drudge, publisher of The Drudge Report, and America Online Inc. over statements Drudge published in August 1997. According to the complaint, Drudge falsely accused Blumenthal of engaging...
- 05/30/2008 - 2:59pm - 0 comments

Webster v. Albero

Date: 05/23/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Maryland
Publication: Blog
Salisbury, Maryland Police Chief Allan Webster filed a lawsuit against local blogger Joe Albero, who operates the Salisbury News blog, wich covers matters of local interest in Salisbury and Wicomico County. Albero, who often takes local politicians to task, criticized...
- 05/30/2008 - 11:23am - 0 comments

Southern California Regional Rail Authority v. Arkow (Letter)

Date: 01/14/2008
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Lawsuit Filed
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Forum, Website
In January 2008, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), which operates the regional commuter railway service in southern California known as Metrolink, sent Robert Arkow a cease-and-desist letter regarding Arkow's use of the"Metrolink" trademark in the domain name of his website...
- 05/27/2008 - 2:07pm - 0 comments

Southern California Regional Rail Authority v. Arkow

Date: 03/19/2008
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Forum
In March 2008, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), which operates the regional commuter railway service in southern California known as Metrolink, filed an administrative complaint with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center against Robert Arkow pursuant to the ...
- 05/27/2008 - 10:36am - 0 comments

Bradley v. Conner

Date: 07/23/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Publication: Forum
Kimball Bradley, an executive at Reunion Industries, Inc., a publicly traded manufacturing company, sued Herbert Conner, an attorney who previously represented Reunion, over posts Conner allegedly made on a Yahoo! Finance Message Board that Bradley believed defamed him and cast...
- 05/23/2008 - 12:44pm - 0 comments

Ganjavi v. Smith

Date: 08/03/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California, Illinois
Publication: Forum, Website
In 2006, Reza Ganjavi, a musician and record producer in the field of classical guitar, filed suit in federal court in California against several named and anonymous Internet posters.  Ganjavi alleged that the individual defendants posted negative comments about him on various...
- 05/23/2008 - 11:22am - 0 comments

Washington Post v. Tunison

Date: 04/17/2008
Status: Concluded
Disposition: n/a
Type: Disciplinary Action
Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
Publication: Blog
The Washington Post reportedly fired staffer Michael Tunison over profane blog posts on NFL humor blog Kissing Suzy Kolber. Tunison was a regular poster to the blog under the pseudonym "Christmas Ape," and the disciplinary action came...
- 05/22/2008 - 7:28pm - 0 comments

Warner Bros. Records v. Music2Nite

Date: 10/20/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Material Removed
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction: Israel
Publication: Blog
Warner Bros. Records sent a cease and desist letter (via Blogger) to Music2Nite, a music blog that had posted materials related to recording artist Madonna. The demand letter not only specified that the blog owner remove a specific post -- Music2Nite primarily...
- 05/22/2008 - 6:56pm - 0 comments

Sungenis v. Tarsax

Date: 09/27/2007
Status:
Disposition: n/a
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Publication: Website
Paul Tarsax, who blogs on a site called Catholic Anti-Defamation League, created and posted a video on YouTube that contained edited footage of Robert Sungenis, the founder of Catholic Apologists International (CAI), making controversial statements about Jews together...
- 05/22/2008 - 6:28pm - 0 comments

Melius v. Keiffer

Date: 02/01/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Publication: Print, Verbal, Website
In February 2006, David Melius filed a lawsuit against Maple Area Residents, Inc. (MARI), a neighborhood association in the Carrollton neighborhood of New Orleans that had opposed the construction of a new bar Melius wished to build, and two of...
- 05/14/2008 - 3:28pm - 0 comments

Lifestyle Lift Holding, Inc. v. Bowler

Date: 10/12/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Material Removed, Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Texas
Publication: Website
In October 2007, Lifestyle Lift Holding, Inc. and its sole shareholder, David Kent, sued Jean Bowler in federal court in Michigan. Bowler runs Ageless Beauty, an informational website on various aspects of beauty, cosmetics, and cosmetic surgery. According to the complaint,...
- 05/13/2008 - 5:20pm - 0 comments

Jaeger v. Okon

Date: 05/11/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Retraction Issued, Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Illinois
Publication: Blog, Email
Bloggers Joy and Tom Okon, operators of North Center Neighbors, a blog that covers happenings in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago, were sued by James Jaeger and his development company for defamation. Jaeger's complaint alleges that...
- 05/13/2008 - 2:29pm - 0 comments

Evans v. Evans

Date: 03/02/2007
Status: Pending
Disposition: Injunction Denied, Injunction Issued
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Website
In March 2007, Thomas Evans, a deputy sheriff in the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, sued his former wife, Linda Evans, and her mother, Shirley Preddy, for defamation, harassment, invasion of privacy, and other claims. After Thomas and Linda Evans divorced in...
- 05/13/2008 - 12:39pm - 0 comments

Tiny Details, LLC v. Ward

Date: 02/26/2008
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction: New York
Publication: Blog
In June 2006, blogger Stephen Ward wrote a post criticizing Tiny Details, LLC, a company that produces doll-making kits that users can assemble at home and sell as a work-from-home-business. The post described Ward's negative experience with the company and directed...
- 05/12/2008 - 6:41pm - 0 comments

USMLEWORLD v. Digg

Date: 01/08/2008
Status: Concluded
Disposition: n/a
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Website
USMLEWORLD, LLC, a company providing online courses to prepare for the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam, sent a cease-and-decease letter to Digg complaining that users were using, posting, and distributing its copyrighted material through Digg links. USMLEWORLD demanded that Digg remove...
- 05/12/2008 - 1:58pm - 0 comments

Lifestyle Lift Holding, Inc. v. NBC 10

Date: 09/26/2006
Status: Pending
Disposition: Dismissed (partial)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Michigan
Publication: Broadcast, Website
Lifestyle Lift Holding, Inc. and LL NJ, Inc. are in the business of performing facelifts and other cosmetic surgery. In September 2006, they sued NBC-Subsidiary (WCAU-TV) (a.k.a. NBC 10), NBC Universal and certain of its affiliates, NBC reporter Lu Ann Cahn, and...
- 05/09/2008 - 6:04pm - 0 comments

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