Korbel v. Does [1]

Korbel Champagne Cellars [2] filed a John Doe lawsuit against 10 anonymous defendants. The defamation suit [3], filed in Sonoma County Superior Court, complains about a number of postings on a craigslist.org [4] forum accusing Korbel of punishing employees who reported sexual harassment, plotting to cut down redwood forests on its property, and bribing law enforcement and court authorities.  Korbel contends that these accusations are false and have injured its reputation.

Korbel determined that some of the anonymous posters used Comcast's internet services [5].  At a March 4 hearing, Korbel requested that Judge Nadler [6] order Comcast to turn over their names. According to Comcast spokesman Andrew Johnson, Comcast complies with such orders, but only after notifying its customers that their identities are being sought. This enables posters to defend their anonymity. "Our policy is to give our customer notice and sufficient time to decide whether to contest the disclosure," Johnson told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat [5].

No opposition appeared to challenge Korbel's request, and Judge Nadler issued the order [7], but stayed its operation to give the posters an opportunity to seek a protective order.  Judge Nadler ordered Comcast to notify the affected subscribers of the discovery request within one week and gave the subscribers one month to take action.