Leeds v. Karlsruher, No. 2009-5018 (Tex. County Ct., El Paso County filed Nov. 16, 2009).
Status: Pending.
El Paso County ethics commission char Stuart Leeds sued blogger David Karlsruher over a Nov. 11, 2009 posting on his Refuse the Juice blog alleging that Leeds was "in such a hurry to get his committee all rigged up and ready to go" because "if he doesn't hurry up and get everything squared away, he and his buddies won't be ready to start the witch hunt before election season."
Links and Court Documents:
Ethics panel chairman sues over online column (El Paso Times, Nov. 18, 2009).
>> Court docket
Showing posts with label Election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Election. Show all posts
Bonlender v. Ensey, No. 07-2-03942-1 (
Status: Settled (including undisclosed monetary payment) (Jan. 2009).
Yakima city councilman Ron Bonlender lost his re-relection bid in November 2007 to Rick Ensey, then sued Rick and Diane Ensey over comments on the Inside Yakima blog (www.insideyakima.com; now defunct) which he alleged led to his defeat. The parties settled in January 2009, with the Enseys paying an undisclosed cash sum and issuing a public apology.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/02/04/defamation-suit-settled-out-of-court
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2009/02/09/ensey-blogging-saga-over-good-riddance
Case information and documents at http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/bonlender-v-ensey
Cisneros v. Sanchez, No. 2005-CCL-01024-A (Tex. County Ct., filed Aug. 24, 2005).
Status: Settled for $150,000
Robert Sanchez, who lost a 2005 race for the Brownsville, Tex. city commission, maintained his former campaign web site (www.robertsanchez05.com) to advertise his restaurant , with a blog on local politics (formerly at http://www.robertsanchez05.com/phpBB2/index.php?c=2). The wife of Carlos Cisneros, who defeated Sanchez in the race, sued for defamation for statements on the site. The suit eventually settled for $150,000, after the plaintiff showed that Sanchez’s computer was used to write comments to the web site. As part of the settlement, Sanchez admitted that he posted the comments under various pseudonyms; he also wrote a letter vindicating Elena Cisneros’ good name and apologizing to her children for the comments on the website.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/site_66261___article.html/cisneros_web.html
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/sanchez_66364___article.html/lawsuit_baird.html
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/court_67939___article.html/federal_sanchez.html
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/court_68828___article.html/sanchez_lawsuits.html
Status: Settled for $150,000
Robert Sanchez, who lost a 2005 race for the Brownsville, Tex. city commission, maintained his former campaign web site (www.robertsanchez05.com) to advertise his restaurant , with a blog on local politics (formerly at http://www.robertsanchez05.com/phpBB2/index.php?c=2). The wife of Carlos Cisneros, who defeated Sanchez in the race, sued for defamation for statements on the site. The suit eventually settled for $150,000, after the plaintiff showed that Sanchez’s computer was used to write comments to the web site. As part of the settlement, Sanchez admitted that he posted the comments under various pseudonyms; he also wrote a letter vindicating Elena Cisneros’ good name and apologizing to her children for the comments on the website.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/site_66261___article.html/cisneros_web.html
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/sanchez_66364___article.html/lawsuit_baird.html
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/court_67939___article.html/federal_sanchez.html
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/court_68828___article.html/sanchez_lawsuits.html
Byrge v. Campfield, No. ______ (Tenn. Dist. Ct., Campbell County filed Nov. __, 2008).
Status: Pending.
Defeated State House candidate Roger Byrge sued incumbent state Rep. Stacey Campfield for libel for statements on Campfield’s “Camp4u” blog (lastcar.blogspot.com) that Byrge had been arrested on drug charges. Campfiled initially responded to the suit by claiming that her blog was protected by legislative immunity, but then dropped that defense.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.whnt.com/Global/story.asp?S=9345694
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=41013
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090220/NEWS0201/90220017/1003/rss03
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/24/campfield-drops-legislative-privilege-defense-in/?partner=RSS
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=42221
Status: Pending.
Defeated State House candidate Roger Byrge sued incumbent state Rep. Stacey Campfield for libel for statements on Campfield’s “Camp4u” blog (lastcar.blogspot.com) that Byrge had been arrested on drug charges. Campfiled initially responded to the suit by claiming that her blog was protected by legislative immunity, but then dropped that defense.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.whnt.com/Global/story.asp?S=9345694
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=41013
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090220/NEWS0201/90220017/1003/rss03
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/24/campfield-drops-legislative-privilege-defense-in/?partner=RSS
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=42221
Doe v. TS et al., No. CV08030693 (Ore. Cir. Ct., Clackamas ruling Sept. 30, 2008)
Status: Subpeona seeking release of release information on blog poster denied
The weekly newspaper Portland Mercury hosts a blog called “Blogtown, PDX” where the newspaper’s reporters post articles and members of the public may post comments.
On January 31, 2008, Mercury reporter Amy Ruiz posted an article about activities at City Hall concerning mayoral candidate Sho Dozano. Various readers posted comments in response to the article, including a poster with the screenname “Ronald.” Terry Beard, who was derogatorily referenced in “Ronald”’s blog comment, filed suit against “Ronald” and those who had posted comments about Beard on other blogs. Beard also served a third-party subpoena on The Mercury, seeking information he could use to identify “Ronald.”
The Mercury objected to the subpoena, invoking Oregon’s “reporters’ shield law” to argued that a newspaper may not be compelled to identify the source of information or produce any “unpublished information” the newspaper has obtained in the course of “receiving” or “processing” information for a “medium of communication.” Based on this argument, the Clackamas County Circuit Court denied a motion to compel disclosure of the information.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/anonymous_blog_commenters_shie.html
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/archives/2008/10/01/the_portland_mercury_we_ll_go
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/blog-this/Content?oid=979329
http://www.tsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3682&Itemid=71
Status: Subpeona seeking release of release information on blog poster denied
The weekly newspaper Portland Mercury hosts a blog called “Blogtown, PDX” where the newspaper’s reporters post articles and members of the public may post comments.
On January 31, 2008, Mercury reporter Amy Ruiz posted an article about activities at City Hall concerning mayoral candidate Sho Dozano. Various readers posted comments in response to the article, including a poster with the screenname “Ronald.” Terry Beard, who was derogatorily referenced in “Ronald”’s blog comment, filed suit against “Ronald” and those who had posted comments about Beard on other blogs. Beard also served a third-party subpoena on The Mercury, seeking information he could use to identify “Ronald.”
The Mercury objected to the subpoena, invoking Oregon’s “reporters’ shield law” to argued that a newspaper may not be compelled to identify the source of information or produce any “unpublished information” the newspaper has obtained in the course of “receiving” or “processing” information for a “medium of communication.” Based on this argument, the Clackamas County Circuit Court denied a motion to compel disclosure of the information.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/anonymous_blog_commenters_shie.html
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/archives/2008/10/01/the_portland_mercury_we_ll_go
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/blog-this/Content?oid=979329
http://www.tsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3682&Itemid=71
Price v. Moore, No. 07CVS746 (N.C. Super. Ct., Rockingham County filed April 20, 2007).
Status: Withdrawn by plaintiff
During the 2006 election, there was a police report that Rockingham County, N.C. school board candidate Ron Price had been seen removing campaign signs for Congressman Brad Miller, a Democrat. Price, who won his own election, was not charged. But former school board candidate Richard Moore, who publishes his own newspaper (The Neely Chronicle), maintains the “Rockingham Tattler” website (http://politicalsoup.tv), and hosts a television show on local politics, allegedly claimed in each of these venues that Price was a “thief” and a “crook.” Price filed suit against Moore and his wife, seeking a restraining order and $140,000 in damages. He withdrew the suit in January 2008.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/price-v-moore
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/NEWSREC0101/70430019
http://www.edendailynews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=EDN/MGArticle/EDN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350994743
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070501/NEWSREC0101/70501006
http://reidsvillereview.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RVR/MGArticle/RVR_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350994765&path=%21frontpage
http://theknightshift.blogspot.com/2007/10/im-being-depositioned-by-ron-price.html
Status: Withdrawn by plaintiff
During the 2006 election, there was a police report that Rockingham County, N.C. school board candidate Ron Price had been seen removing campaign signs for Congressman Brad Miller, a Democrat. Price, who won his own election, was not charged. But former school board candidate Richard Moore, who publishes his own newspaper (The Neely Chronicle), maintains the “Rockingham Tattler” website (http://politicalsoup.tv), and hosts a television show on local politics, allegedly claimed in each of these venues that Price was a “thief” and a “crook.” Price filed suit against Moore and his wife, seeking a restraining order and $140,000 in damages. He withdrew the suit in January 2008.
Links and Court Documents:
http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/price-v-moore
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/NEWSREC0101/70430019
http://www.edendailynews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=EDN/MGArticle/EDN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350994743
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070501/NEWSREC0101/70501006
http://reidsvillereview.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RVR/MGArticle/RVR_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350994765&path=%21frontpage
http://theknightshift.blogspot.com/2007/10/im-being-depositioned-by-ron-price.html
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