Obsidian Finance Group v. Cox

UPDATE: Appeals Court overturns decision against blogger.


9th.Cir.: Appeals Court Overturns Defamation Award Against Blogger
Los Angeles Times
An appeals court unanimously overturned a defamation award against a blogger Friday, ruling that 1st Amendment protections for traditional news media extend to individuals posting on the web.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-blogger-1st-amendment-20140118%2C0%2C3524030.story#axzz2qxac8PR6


Opinion: http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2014/01/17/12-35238.pdf




UPDATE: District Court affirm original decisions, finding Cox liable for $2.5 million in damages.

D.Ore.: Investigative Blogger Must Pay $2.5 Million
Courthouse News Service
A self-described investigative blogger must pay a financial company $2.5 million for a single post in which she accused it of tax fraud, after a federal judge refused to grant her request for a new trial.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/03/29/45154.htm

>>Opinion: Obsidian Finance Group v. Cox
 http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/03/29/CoxOrder.pdf

 
STATUS: Jury found Cox liable for defamation in December of 2011. The EFF filed a brief to reinstate the case on January 11, 2012.

Ore. Dist.: Oregon Defamation Decision Could Chill Free Speech
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged an Oregon district court in a friend-of-the court brief to overturn a multi-million dollar defamation verdict against a blogger that could chill free speech.
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/oregon-defamation-decision-could-chill-free-speech

>>Amicus Brief: Obsidian Finance Group v. Cox
https://www.eff.org/sites/default/files/filenode/coxamicus.pdf