Saturday, January 06, 2001 5:06:26 PM
Precedence? Judge Enters $675,000 Judgment Against Internet Poster.
Knew it was going to happen one day, I believe as do the attornies that: the judgment is the first, and certainly the largest, libel verdict based on an anonymous Internet message.
It was the result of a trial before U.S. District Judge Richard L. Williams in October. A jury recommended that Oppenheimer and a pathology services corporation he owned pay Graham $325,000 in compensatory damages and $350,000 to punish Oppenheimer for his misconduct.
On Thursday, Williams rejected motions by an attorney for Oppenheimer to set aside the jury's verdict or grant him a new trial. Instead, Williams ordered Oppenheimer to pay the verdict and said he would have to post a $750,000 bond to appeal the case to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
also a wake up call it appears ...
(Judge)Williams noted that Oppenheimer had never met Graham and called the anonymous attack "about as despicable as any course of conduct that one could engage in."
Graham's Attorney Rudlin said the thrust of Oppenheimer's defense was that Internet message boards contain free-wheeling exchanges of information to a very limited audience and that no one takes the messages seriously.
Oppenheimer also contended that Graham hadn't shown any damage in the way of loss of business or harm to his reputation.
Rudlin responded that the law doesn't require him to show such damage because the false information accused him of a crime and attacked him professionally.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/MGB131NQIGC.html
This could be an interesting development for the bashers and witch-hunters with their innuendoes and with reckless disregard for the truth... Wonder how many cases are going to site this case.
Gary
Knew it was going to happen one day, I believe as do the attornies that: the judgment is the first, and certainly the largest, libel verdict based on an anonymous Internet message.
It was the result of a trial before U.S. District Judge Richard L. Williams in October. A jury recommended that Oppenheimer and a pathology services corporation he owned pay Graham $325,000 in compensatory damages and $350,000 to punish Oppenheimer for his misconduct.
On Thursday, Williams rejected motions by an attorney for Oppenheimer to set aside the jury's verdict or grant him a new trial. Instead, Williams ordered Oppenheimer to pay the verdict and said he would have to post a $750,000 bond to appeal the case to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
also a wake up call it appears ...
(Judge)Williams noted that Oppenheimer had never met Graham and called the anonymous attack "about as despicable as any course of conduct that one could engage in."
Graham's Attorney Rudlin said the thrust of Oppenheimer's defense was that Internet message boards contain free-wheeling exchanges of information to a very limited audience and that no one takes the messages seriously.
Oppenheimer also contended that Graham hadn't shown any damage in the way of loss of business or harm to his reputation.
Rudlin responded that the law doesn't require him to show such damage because the false information accused him of a crime and attacked him professionally.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/MGB131NQIGC.html
This could be an interesting development for the bashers and witch-hunters with their innuendoes and with reckless disregard for the truth... Wonder how many cases are going to site this case.
Gary :=) Gary Swancey
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