That's one expensive message-board posting....

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cdefamation12oct12,0,2458585.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Weston woman wins $11.3 million in defamation lawsuit over Internet postings

By Hemmy So
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 12 2006


A Broward County jury has awarded a Weston woman $11.3 million in an Internet defamation lawsuit that legal experts say could spur more courtroom battles over what's said online.

Sue Scheff filed the lawsuit against Carey Bock in December 2003, after the Louisiana woman called her a "crook," "con artist" and "fraud" on an Internet message board for parents interested in alternative schools for troubled teens.

One message landed on the Broward County PTA Web site, calling Scheff's referral company for such parents "an old, old scam."

Legal experts say the Sept. 19 jury award may encourage more Internet-related lawsuits, particularly as message boards, blogs and social networking sites proliferate. Of the $11.3 million, almost half was awarded as punitive damages.

 

BLOGS!!!!!

 

BYH and Goon better be quaking in their boots if A_F sees this thread.

 

Actually, I was worried Roger Clemens had made me target no. 1 in his attempt to clear his good name as an endorser. OF STEROIDS!!!!!

 

Well, I'm just saying. She sued for being called a FRAUD!

 

Actually, we all just might make Alex Rodriguez even richer.

 

Should we just go ahead and set up the Webby legal defense fund now?

 

That story makes me nervous.

 

It'd make me nervous, too. Webby. I'm glad there is a degree of policing that goes on here and hopefully it takes care of most issues as they are made aware to the management team.

But think of the people who are smeered.

There's a certain website where people can go and rate their doctors. No login, no names, no accountability. Just random people whining and exagerating the horrible treatment they get and leaving it there for anyone to read or to pile on. If someone is truly a crappy doctor that's one thing. But more often than not (and DocTalk will agree with this) the people are inventing malpractice claims in their mind for not being cured on the spot for sicknesses the doctor simply can't cure.

There are certainly legit whistleblower situations, of course. Still, I'm hopeful people can use this as a reason to use more restraint when anonymously ranting and trashing people based on a skewed vision of reality.