Steinbach v. Cutler, Civil No. 05-00970 (D.D.C. filed May 16, 2005).
Status: Motion to dismiss denied in part (April 4, 2006); case stayed due to defendant’s bankruptcy.

In May 2004, Captial Hill aide Jessica Culter published a pseudonymous blog (washingtonienne.blogspot.com; no longer existent, but archived at washingtoniennearchive.blogspot.com) detailing her sexual escapades, identifying several men only by their initials.

Cutler's blog became a widespread story after it was publicized on another blog, wonkette.com, and Cutler was fired.

Robert Steinbach filed suit on May 18, 2005, saying that he was one of the men whose initials were given in the blog, but that other identifying information was included. Ruling on a motion to dismiss, the court held that the one-year statute of limitations on in the District of Columbia applied, and that this barred claims for all but one of the blog postings. Steinbach’s effort to add Ann Marie Cox, operator of the Wonkette site, as a defendant was rejected by the court in May 2007.

In May 2007 Cutler filed for bankruptcy, which is pending. See In re: Jessica Cutler, No. 07-31459-5 (Bankr. N.D. N.Y. filed May 30, 2007). Steinbach then filed a claim with the bankruptcy court. He also filed a separate suit in Arkansas over a book based on the blog.

Links and Court Documents:
http://www.nylj.com/nylawyer/news/09/06/061609c.html
http://www.calicocat.com/jessica_cutler_washingtonienne.htm
http://www.wonkette.com/politics/robert-steinbuch/index.php
http://www.privsecblog.com/archives/blogging-steinbuch-v-cutler-when-is-a-personal-blog-considered-publicity.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070516/ap_on_go_ot/sex_blog_lawsuit_1
Complaint at http://files.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/torts/steinbuchvcutler51805cmp.pdf