Woody v. Carter [1]

Roger Woody, a landowner and developer, sued four local bloggers in Virginia state court for tortious interference with contracts, conspiracy to harm his business, and "insulting words" (closely related to defamation) after they allegedly criticized him, his business, and at least one of his properties. According to the Roanoke Times [2], the lawsuit "accuses the defendants of injuring Woody's 'good name and reputation' in the past two years." Woody is seeking over $31 million in damages.

The dispute centers around a large pile of dirt on one of Woody's properties. According to a court document [3], two posts on the Think, Christiansburg! [4] blog, maintained by Terry Ellen Carter and  Tacy L. Newell-Foutz, expressed the view that the dirt pile was an eyesore, said that it should be removed, and dubbed it "Mt. Woody." Carter also had critized the pile when interviewed in a Roanoke Times article [5] and made T-shirts that included a photo of the pile with "Woodyville" superimposed over it. Woody's lawsuit claims that the defendants' actions have "cost numerous contracts for the sale of town houses and other properties" and that he will continue to lose sales in the future as a result of their actions.

In May 2008, Carter and Newell-Foutz filed a demurrer [3] asking the court to dismiss the case. The court held a hearing on the demurrer on July 31, 2008.

Dorsett and Lindstrom say they have no connection [6] to the Think, Christiansburg! blog. They have been dismissed from the case.

Update:

10/17/08 - According to one press report [7], the court granted Carter and Newell-Foutz's motion to dismiss, but gave Woody 21 days to amend his pleading.

10/31/08 - According to one of the defendants [8] in the case, the court order sustaining the demurrers was dated October 31, 2008. Woody has until January 31, 2009, ninety days from the court order, to file an appeal.

04/10/09 -  Woody's appeal was denied.