Libel

Laughable Online Censorship Attempt Won't Last a New York Minute

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Supreme Court, American Revolution, Jaynes v Virginia, Law, Bill of Rights, Newspapers, First Amendment, Sedition, Free Speech, Treason, Spam, Free Press, Scotus, Federalist Papers, Unconstitutional, Precedent, Virginia, Constitution, Anonymous, Publius, Online, Libel, Federal Court, Jaynes, Republicans, Censorship, New York Minute, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Republicans in the New York state government are attempting to pass a law that would ban anonymous comments online. Even if they actually passed the act, once it arrived in a federal court it would be tossed out in a "New York minute" (as they say).

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"Psychic" Sally Morgan Sues Critics for £150,000 After Refusing $1 Million to Prove Her Powers

D.J. Grothe | Posted 04.03.2012

Read More: Sally Morgan, Paranormal, Simon Singh, Daily Mail, Christopher French, Psychic, Jref, Libel, Paul Zenon, Psychic Sally, James Randi Educational Foundation, Skepticism, Lawsuit, Psychic Medium, Video, Weird News News
D.J. Grothe

Since 1996, The James Randi Educational Foundation has offered $1 million to any psychic who can prove their powers are real under fair conditions that prevent cheating.

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Protecting Our Free Speech

Iris Erlingsdottir | Posted 02.26.2012

Read More: Freedom of Speech, Free Press, Anti-SLAPP Act, Public-Figures, Libel, Anti-Slapp, Defamation, New York Times v Sullivan, Public Figures, World News
Iris Erlingsdottir

After the recent Reykjavik District Court decisions penalizing a journalist for reprinting publicly-available information and presenting both sides of a domestic dispute, the Icelandic Supreme Court has taken some baby steps towards establishing a free press in Iceland.

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The Real Danger in That Bloggers-Aren't-Journalists Ruling

Dan Kennedy | Posted 02.07.2012

Read More: Marco Hernandez, Supreme Court, First Amendment, Crystal Cox, Bloggers, Oregon, Libel, Blogging, Freedom-of-Speech, Media News
Dan Kennedy

Judge Hernandez's ruling is dangerous not because he doesn't believe bloggers are journalists. Rather, it's dangerous because he believes journalists comprise a special class who are entitled to more constitutional rights than the rest of society.

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America's Justice System Has Failed Us All

Conrad Black | Posted 01.24.2012

Read More: Supreme Court, US Justice System, Libel, US Justice Department, Plea Bargains, America's Justice System, Crime News
Conrad Black

The unfairness, hypocrisy, and barbarism of the American criminal justice system is increasingly the subject of serious comment. Indeed, almost everything about the American system is wrong.

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Diet Guru Dukan Loses Libel Case Against Rival

AP | By PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD | Posted 09.05.2011

Read More: Dukan Libel, Libel, Pierre Dukan, Dukan Diet, Libel Case, Dukan Diet Libel Case, Food News

PARIS -- French nutritionist Pierre Dukan, whose protein-rich diets are popular from Hollywood to Paris, lost in court Tuesday against a rival he accu...

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UK Tries To Overhaul Notorious Libel Laws

AP | ROBERT BARR | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: England Libel Laws, Libel, UK Government, British Courts, UK Libel Laws, British Libel Laws, UK Media, Media News

LONDON — The British government on Tuesday proposed changes in the law of defamation in England and Wales to provide greater protection for spee...

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Jerry Seinfeld Free To Mock Wife's Rival Cookbook Author, Judge Rules

AP | DAVID B. CARUSO | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Missy Chase Lapine, Deceptively Delicious, Harpercollins, Jerry Seinfeld, The Late Show With David Letterman, Jessica Seinfeld, Jessica Seinfeld Plagiarism, Plagiarism, Libel, Jessica Seinfeld Lawsuit, The Sneaky Chef, Chefs, Food News

NEW YORK — A judge has thrown out a lawsuit by a cookbook author who accused Jerry Seinfeld of hurting her reputation by mocking her on national...

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Nigerian Jailed For Facebook 'Curse'

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Sule Lamido, Social Media, Freedom of Speech@Y:World, Nigerian Man Jailed Over Facebook, Libel, Goodluck Jonathan, Mukhtar Ibrahim Aminu, Nigeria, Facebook, Defamation, World News

Said to have traumatized a state governor so badly he required hospitalization, a Nigerian man's politically-charged Facebook rants have landed him in...

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WATCH: Sarah Palin's Top 10 FAILS

Matt Wilstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Arizona Shooting, Fail, Katie Couric, Sarah Palin, Slidepollajax, Gabrielle Giffords, Joe Biden, Palin, Jay Leno, Blood Libel, Video, Palin Blood Libel, Sarah Palin Video, Palin Video, Sarah Palin Blood Libel Video, Sarah Palin Blood Libel, Libel, Sarah Palin News, Sarah Palin Video Arizona, Comedy News
Matt Wilstein

Sarah Palin tried really hard with her video response to the Arizona shooting. But she just had to slip the antiquated, anti-Semitic term "blood libel" into her statement.

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Blood Libel Wikipedia Entry Hacked

The Huffington Post | Katla McGlynn | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Wikipedia, Blood Libel, Palin Blood Libel Wiki, Palin Blood Libel, Sarah Palin, Blood Libel Wiki Hacked, Blood Libel Wikipedia Hacked, Palin, Sarah Palin Blood Libel, Blood Libel Palin, Libel, What Is Blood Libel, Sarah Palin News, Blood Libel Sarah Palin, Wiki, Blood Libel Wiki, What Is a Blood Libel, Blood Libel Wikipedia, Comedy News

Well, that didn't take long. Earlier this afternoon the Wikipedia entry for "blood libel," the word on the tip of everyone's tongue today after Sarah...

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It's a Royal Free-for-All!

Charlie Carillo | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: UK Media, Libel, Prince William Kate Middleton, Kate Middleton, Royal Wedding, Kennedy Family, British Media, Royal Wedding 2011, New York News
Charlie Carillo

"Royal expert" is a term that covers quite a bit of turf. It's anybody with a British accent, the way anybody in New York with a vowel at the end of his name is an expert on organized crime. Or a criminal.

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The Slow Demise of Defamation and the Privacy Torts

Daniel J. Solove | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Libel, Defamation, Privacy, Lawsuits, Free Speech, Media News
Daniel J. Solove

We need to have some meaningful way to prevent defamation and invasion of privacy. Otherwise, people will spread all sorts of damaging rumors and gossip about each other online.

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Apology for Vilifying One Man, Yet No Apology for Killing 1.5 Million

Harut Sassounian | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Guenter Lewy, Turkey, Defamation, Armenian Genocide, Taldf, Alabama, Turkish Penal Code, Tca, Libel, University of Utah Press, Revisionist Historian, Splc, Article 301, World News
Harut Sassounian

In 2008, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) published an exposé of the Turkish government's efforts to pressure U.S. politicians and academics to deny the facts of the Armenian genocide.

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Can Hyperlinks Be Libelous, Or Are They Just Footnotes?

guardian.co.uk | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Hyperlink Libel, Libel, Defamation Law, Islam Expo v Spectator, Hyperlink, Technology News

A question that remains to be resolved is whether a link to a web page that contains defamatory statements about someone is actionable. The high court...

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Doctor-Writers: What Are the Ethics?

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Hipaa, Confidentiality, Trust, Professionalism, Writing, Trepidation, Literary Phenomenon, Patient, Morals, Emotional Reactions, Fascination and Fear, Intricacies, Veritable Epidemic, Rule of Thumb, Trafficking, Awe, Pedestal, Ethics, Literary Genre, Nonfiction, Libel, Doctor-Patient Relationship, Doctor, Starters, Country of Origin, Medicine, Expectation, Medical Profession, New York News
Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

There is a veritable epidemic of doctor-writers out there. What is going on? Are doctors suddenly in the kiss-and-tell mode? What about confidentiality? Professionalism? HIPAA?

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Illinois Newspaper Forced To Disclose Names Of Anonymous Commenters (POLL)

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Libel, MyWebTimes.Com, Illinois, Illinois Appellate Court, Ottawa Publishing, Ottawa Times, Ottawa, Anonymous Comments, Poll, Chicago News

A downstate Illinois newspaper must reveal the identity of an anonymous online commenter, according to a new appellate court ruling that could have wi...

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John Grisham

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Libel, Denver Appeals Court, John Grisham Libel Suit, \'The Innocent Man', John Grisham, Denver News

DENVER — A federal appeals court in Denver ruled that three public officials from Oklahoma cannot revive their libel lawsuit against best-sellin...

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Sara Netanyahu Sues Israeli Paper Maariv For Libel

AP | ARON HELLER | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Sara Netanyahu Sues, Israel Newspaper, Netanyahu, Libel, Sara Netanyahu, Israel, Maariv, World News

JERUSALEM — The wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sued an Israeli newspaper on Monday for libel and defamation of character, cla...

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A First Amendment Remedy for a First Amendment Train Wreck: Citizens United and the Future of Libel Law

Howard Schweber | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Supreme Court, Libel, Elections, First Amendment, Citizens United, New York Times v Sullivan, Campaign Finance, Politics News
Howard Schweber

This week, in Citizens United v. FEC, five Supreme Court Justices declared an effective end to campaign finance reform as far as advertising is concerned.

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Shawne Merriman v. Tila Tequila: The Best Defense Is a Good Offense?

Kristen Spanier | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Libel, Slander, San Diego Chargers, Shawne Merriman, Tila Tequila, Entertainment News
Kristen Spanier

Only San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman knows why he chose to sue Tila Tequila. If his purpose was to deflect negative publicity from Tequila's charges of violence and drug use, his filing led to further reporting of Tequila's charges.

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Congress: Protect American Writers and Publishers from Being Sued Overseas

Judy Platt | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: First Amendment Rights, Libel Tourism, Free Speech, Congress, Brazilian Law, Writing, Defamation, Brazil, Lawsuit, England, Funding Evil, Saudi Arabia, Libel, New York Times, Publishers, Air Traffic, Mahfouz, Books News
Judy Platt

Your book's been published in the United States for an American audience. Someone who's mentioned in the book doesn't like what you've written and sues you for libel, but he doesn't sue you here, where the book has been published.

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Stalin Libel Suit: Josef Stalin's Grandson Loses Case Against Newspaper

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Stalin's Family, Communism, Novaya Gazeta, Moscow, Russia, Libel, Kremlin, Josef Stalin, Soviet Union, Putin, Nazi-Soviet Pact, Stalin's Grandson, Stalinism, Stalin on Trial, Yevgeny Dzhugashvili, World News

MOSCOW (AP)- A Russian court ruled against Josef Stalin's grandson Tuesday in a libel suit over a newspaper article that said the Soviet dictator sent...

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Sun To Pay Lily Allen £10,000 Damages, Apologize For Article

Guardian | Chris Tryhorn | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lily Allen, Libel, The Sun, Lily Allen the Sun, Media News

The Sun has agreed to pay Lily Allen £10,000 in damages over an article that wrongly alleged she called Victoria Beckham a "monster" and The X Factor...

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Tort Liability

Eugene Volokh | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cheating Relationships, Marriage, Court Case, Divorce, Family Law, Libel, Hawaii, Cheating, Hawaii Supreme Court, Affairs, Politics News
Eugene Volokh

People should be free to leave their lovers, and even "flaunt[]" their new relationships, without a government agency deciding whether such behavior was "unreasonabl[e]".

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