MacDonald v. Paton, No. ______ (Mass. Super., Worcester filed Sept. 14, 1999).
Status: Dismissed
Plaintiff Mark A. MacDonald, at the time a town selectman in Athol, Mass. sued the operator of a local website who posted a satirical “definition” in the "First Dictionary of Athonics" section of her site which implied that MacDonald was a Nazi. The defendant moved to have the case dismissed under Massachusetts’ anti-SLAPP statute. The trial court denied the motion, but on appeal the Court of Appeals reversed and granted the motion.

Links and Court Documents:

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=3002

Case information and documents: http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/macdonald-v-paton

Appellate decision: http://www.casp.net/cases/paton.html