Tag Archives: libel

Rap Up the Legal Drama

Internet libel

Although the right to freedom of speech is a protected principle, a court of law may determine whether or not the spoken opinions of one party have infringed upon the rights of an impacted individual. Cardi B, for example, fought back after a celebrity gossip blogger, Tasha K, posted videos that implied that the rapper was employed as a prostitute and used heavy street drugs. While this was the opinion of the blogger, who posted the videos to her YouTube account, there are potential limitations between exercising the First Amendment and exhibiting defamatory behavior. Since filing her defamation lawsuit in 2019, Cardi B has been awarded around $4 million. Continue reading →

My Pillow Suit Deemed Fluff

Lawsuit flattened

As the holiday season comes to an end, we may reflect on the family members we have visited, the food we have enjoyed, and the purchases we have made. One of those said purchases might include new linens, slippers, or pillows from My Pillow, Inc., headquartered in Minnesota. While it might be hard to ignore the comfort of these new items, it may be as equally difficult to overlook the conclusion to the CEO’s legal dispute. Earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed Mike Lindell’s lawsuit against the Daily Mail, which was filed this year in January. The claims of the dispute were defamatory in nature, but according to the federal judge handling the case, lacked substantial evidence. Continue reading →

J.K. Rowling Sues The Daily Mail

House of lies?

As the Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling, rose to fame over her hit book and movie series, rumors surrounding her earlier life became a hot topic in multiple news sources. Some of these sources speculated on how Ms. Rowling began writing the series, questioning if she actually wrote the series on napkins in cafes. Other sources, however, speculated about her personal life as they reported on her previous relationships and life as single mother. One such source that publicly discussed her single-parenthood was the British newspaper, Daily Mail, who published an article on September 27, 2013 suggesting that Ms. Rowling “told a false ‘sob story’ about being stigmatised by churchgoers” (BBC, 2014). The Daily Mail’s report was in response to an article that Ms. Rowling posted on Gingerbread charity’s website (www.gingerbread.org.uk) about her realities of being a single parent. Read More

Yelp Lawsuit Raises Freedom of Speech Issue

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A rock-solid lawsuit?

The founding fathers could never have imagined what path freedom of speech has taken since our country’s inception. Case in point, a character defamation lawsuit has been filed against a Yelp user who gave a negative review to a local contractor. The defendant, Dietz Development, claims that online feedback is one of the most important ways a potential buyer or client uses when they make a decision on whether or not to use a service and is seeking $750,000 in damages. The Yelp user, Jane Perez, has been defending her claims in court since late November, stating that she was simply exercising her freedom of speech after what she felt was an unsatisfying service. A Judge in Southern California has ordered her to edit her comments via a preliminary injunction. Read more

Natalee Holloway’s Mother Seeks Revenge Against Tabloids

Tabloid showdown

It’s puzzling how ragmags can hide behind the First Amendment and get away with publishing outlandish headlines and blatant hurtful lies. Take a trip down the checkout aisle and you’ll see some outrageous headlines. You have “John Travolta’s Cross Dressing Scandal”, next to that, the gut-wrenching “Brad & Angelina Twins Health Shocker: Tragic Down Syndrome”, and right before you can whip out your wallet, you are overcome with disgust when you still see headlines regarding the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. You might ask yourself, “how can these magazines publish such lies, and seven years going, no less? Isn’t this libel? And what about that poor girl’s still-living mother?” Well, after nearly a decade of enduring near-daily assaults on the memory of her daughter, Beth Holloway is ready to fight back against tabloids.