Amanda Bonnen, Apartment Renter, Sued For 'Defamatory' Twitter Post About Mold

CHICAGO — A Chicago company ticked off over a former tenant's moldy "tweet" is positioning itself for what could be a $50,000 Twitter tiff.

Horizon Group Management LLC filed a lawsuit Tuesday that accuses Amanda Bonnen of defaming the company in May when she "tweeted" about moldy apartments.

The lawsuit said she used Twitter, a microblogging service that allows users to give brief online status updates, to tell another user: "Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it's okay."

Jeff Michael, general counsel for Horizon, said Bonnen's apartment was among several affected by an overnight leak in March when a contractor was making roof repairs. Michael said the company resolved all but Bonnen's grievances and she moved out June 30 on her own accord.

The company claims her tweet was published "throughout the world" and severely damaged its good name. Although Bonnen's account was set to public, meaning any Twitter user could see it, a Google-cache of the now deactivated account shows she had 17 followers.

The company's lawsuit seeks $50,000. Bonnen and her lawyers didn't return phone messages for comment Tuesday.

In a twist, Bonnen has sued the company – but not over tweeting or mold. Her suit, filed a few days before she moved out, claims the company violated Chicago leasing rules by not paying tenants interest on security deposits and failing to provide warnings about overloading porches.

Michael said her suit was "completely baseless," an example of how tenants try to manipulate the city's controversial leasing regulations.

The company's main concern: her tweeting.

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Comments

[OutragedPublic]

Help stop companies like Horizon Realty from filing frivolous lawsuits and wasting taxpayer money. Please follow us on Twitter at OutragedPublic, and then visit http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/OutragedPubl... to sign a petition telling companies like Horizon that you find this behavior unacceptable. Our simple website is located at http://outragedpublic.weebly.com/. We will be posting updates on our petition progress there, and we have a forum where you can discuss your thoughts on this issue. Together we can make a statement. Thank you for your support.

[Wide Stance]

This could become an issue of self-defamation. The plaintiff can't be injured by its own act of publication. Even if they prevail, it might cost them more in terms of publicity.

[hotbytes]

This is how smart people at Horizon are:

1. Instead of making sure their customers are served correctly, it may have tried to "cut corner", exposing their customers to a possible harmful environment.

2. When customers complained, Horizon put them through he!!, possibly to discourage the tenants from getting what they deserve: a clean environment to live in.

3. When sued, Horizon looks for dirty in the plaintiff. And here they found "twitter".

4. Horizon spends more money on this legal battle to gain a disastrous PR nightmare.

Now, that' what I call dum b people doing du mb thing for money.

[hotbytes]

One thing for sure is Horizon Realty Management Group is grazz now. No one in the right mind would rent from an organization that "sues first, asks questions later". That alone would simple nullify any interests of prospective tenants. On top of that, I incline to believe Amanda Bonnen over what ever coming from Horizon Realty itself. In fact, a friend of ours called us last night about a possible lawsuit against Horizon for other unrelated charges. From what I've gathered, Horizon is truly a sleazy landlord where money comes first and last. Now, it's also known as sue-happy landlord.

Is there a way I could send money to Amanda for her legal defense fund?

[SouthJerseySteve]

What happened to Freedom of Speech? If true, not slander, right? Or a big business trying to suppress negative press? Way to take a local story International!

[fedupinfla]

And by suing, Horizon has guaranteed that a basically local story will now gain national prominence...lol

[the mean in meaningless]

The Streisand Effect at work. But maybe publicity is what they're hoping for. -- If so, that apartment must be real shoddy.

[BushBites]

"We're a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization," he said,

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Even the mafia gives you a chance to make it good before they bring the hammer down.

[KarmaTheDog]

If only Horizon would have asked first what they could do about the mold...

[writerjohnny]

Horizon Group Management LLC is a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization. That is what I will be publishing worldwide on every available social networking web entity. I don't think they can sue me for quoting them.

[Wide Stance]

If we are to take them at their word (and why not?), they don't ask themselves if there would be a point in suing until well after they have already done so. Seems a silly motto, but who am I to think first, and type second?

[i5kfun]

"We're a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization,"

Yup - sounds like the type of landlords I have known before. They are the ones that no matter how clean you leave the apt will make up bonus charges to keep your security deposit as an extra months rent.

[nice2blucky]

That lawsuit is a frivolous, pitiful waste of time.

The plaintiff should be required to pay defendant's legal bills.

On its face, there are too many liberties and sensibilities that have to be holstered in order to find a person legally or civilly, and punitively responsible for that vague posting.

They are just pushing around people and money.

[DawnK]

The landlord will lose. Is there mold in the apartment? did the tenant ask the management group to do something about it? Sorry Horizon Group Management, but if you were on YELP you would get a bad review. That's what this adds up to. Not only that, how many people follow Bonnen's Tweet that were in the market for an apartment in Chicago owned and rented by Horizon Group Management? They are stretching it. Bonnen should call the Tenants Union in Chicago. I sued a landlord through them and was successful in getting my apartment up to code.

[KarateKid]

Better watch what you write, folks, Jeffrey "Thin Skinned and Vindictive" Michael might be reading this and file another frivolous lawsuit against you. It will surely be thrown out in court, under free speech, but Amanda will have to pay to get a lawyer.

[DestinationsUnknown]

or she represents herself

[wizegeye]

If he charges are false, then this isn't frivolous. Do you know her? Did you see her apt?

[jeliz]

She might just find a pro bono attorney to take this one. It would give him/her a great deal of press, and they can make this corporation look like the beast they must be with the attitude of "sue first ask questions later." It's a beautiful opportunity for an attorney who can twist the knife while smiling.

[sense oar sheep]

"We're a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization," he said.

change it a little bit while keeping it in the court system.

Arrest first, ask questions later kind of an organization.

[Epiphany2b]

Okay, I don't know about Twitter because I don't use it, but don't the only people that read one's "tweet" those who are followers of that person? So say she has 100 friends, that means she has made that comment to 100 people. So now everyone who reads the newspaper knows, but that wasn't her doing, it is the management corporation's doing. So basically they did more harm to themselves than she did. Funny.