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Home > Riddle v. Myers

Riddle v. Myers [1]

Submitted by DMLP Staff on Sat, 09/27/2008 - 01:31

Summary

Threat Type: 

Lawsuit

Date: 

01/07/2008

Status: 

Concluded

Disposition: 

Withdrawn

Location: 

Ohio

Verdict or Settlement Amount: 

N/A

Legal Claims: 

Defamation
Steven Riddle, the principal of Leverette Junior High School, filed a defamation lawsuit against Chris Myers, the operator of SwampBubbles, a website that describes itself as " a user centered site dedicated to breaking news and political discussion of Toledo and... read full description
Parties

Party Receiving Legal Threat: 

Chris Myers; "Another Leverette Teacher"

Type of Party: 

Individual

Type of Party: 

Individual

Location of Party: 

  • Ohio

Location of Party: 

  • Ohio

Legal Counsel: 

Joan M. Torzewski

Legal Counsel: 

C. William Bair; Fan Zhang; Salvatore C. Molaro
Description

Steven Riddle, the principal of Leverette Junior High School, filed a defamation lawsuit against Chris Myers, the operator of SwampBubbles [2], a website that describes itself as " a user centered site dedicated to breaking news and political discussion of Toledo and Northwest Ohio," claiming that the site has been posting items that are "false and defamatory."

According to the complaint, defamatory postings were written by at least three unnamed people in response to a story [3] on the site about a Leverette school employee charged with sexually assaulting a student. 

Riddle also named as a defendant "Another Leverette Teacher," which the complaint did not name.  According to the ToledoBlade.com [4], the complaint also requested that Myers be ordered to provide facts that would allow Riddle "to identify the persons who defamed him."

Update:

On March 3, 2008, Meyers filed a Motion For Protective Order and in the Alternative, Motion For Summary Judgment.

On September 23, 2008, the court scheduled an oral hearing on Myers' Motion for Protective Order and in the Alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment for October 30, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.

On November 14, 2008, plaintiff filed a notice of dismissal without prejudice which the Court granted.

Related Links: 

  • ToledoBlade.com: Toledo web site is sued by a principal [4]
  • Glass City Jungle: SwampBubbles owner Chris Myers sued to demand revealing of anonymous posters. . . [5]
  • The Daily Bellwether: Ohio Blog Sued By School Principal: Toledo Lawsuit Tackles Anonymous Comments [5]
  • Lucas County Court Docket [6] (enter case number)
Details

Web Site(s) Involved: 

SwampBubbles [2]

Content Type: 

  • Text

Publication Medium: 

Website

Subject Area: 

  • Citizen Journalism
  • Defamation
  • Third-Party Content
  • Anonymity
  • User Comments or Submissions
Court Information & Documents

Jurisdiction: 

  • Ohio

Source of Law: 

  • Ohio

Court Name: 

Lucas County, Ohio Court Of Common Pleas

Court Type: 

State

Case Number: 

G-4801-CI-200801115-000
CMLP Information (Private)

Priority: 

1-High

CMLP Notes: 

To-Do: Get court documents

Comments

This case has closed. [7]

Submitted by Guest on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 12:36

This case has closed as of 11/14/08. Check out the docket at Lucas County Commom Pleas.

Thank you for the update [8]

Submitted by David Ardia on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 14:24

We've updated the entry for this case noting that it has now been voluntarily dismissed.

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Source URL (modified on 08/20/2014 - 11:05pm): https://www.dmlp.org/threats/riddle-v-myers

Links
[1] https://www.dmlp.org/threats/riddle-v-myers
[2] http://swampbubbles.com/
[3] http://swampbubbles.com/toledo-public-schools-employee-charged-sexually-assaulting-student
[4] http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/NEWS04/801080375
[5] http://thebellwetherdaily.blogspot.com/2008/01/ohio-blog-sued-by-school-principal.html
[6] http://apps.co.lucas.oh.us/onlinedockets/
[7] https://www.dmlp.org/comment/1172#comment-1172
[8] https://www.dmlp.org/comment/1173#comment-1173