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Home > EDF Ventures v. Ressi

EDF Ventures v. Ressi [1]

Submitted by DMLP Staff on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 17:15

Summary

Threat Type: 

Subpoena

Date: 

07/24/2008

Status: 

Concluded

Disposition: 

Subpoena Enforced

Location: 

California

Verdict or Settlement Amount: 

N/A

Legal Claims: 

None
In August 2008,  Michigan venture capital firm EDF Ventures subpoenaed Adeo Ressi, operator of The Funded, a website that enables entrepreneurs to rate venture capitalists anonymously.  The subpoena issued in connection with a defamation lawsuit against an anonymous commenter to... read full description
Parties

Party Receiving Legal Threat: 

Adeo Ressi

Type of Party: 

Organization

Type of Party: 

Individual
Intermediary

Location of Party: 

  • Michigan

Location of Party: 

  • California

Legal Counsel: 

McDonough, Holland & Allen, PC

Legal Counsel: 

Adeo Ressi (Pro Se)
Description

In August 2008,  Michigan venture capital firm EDF Ventures subpoenaed Adeo Ressi, operator of The Funded [2], a website that enables entrepreneurs to rate venture capitalists anonymously.  The subpoena issued in connection with a defamation lawsuit against an anonymous commenter to the website, who warned readers to avoid EDF Ventures "unless you are desperate."

Ressi complied with the subpoena, but indicated [3] that the records in his possession "showed nothing material about the identity" of the anonymous poster.  This is likely because The Funded has adopted affirmative measures to protect the anonymity of site users.

The disputed comment [4] is still online.   

Related Links: 

  • Case Docket [5] (do an "Index Search" by "Case #" and enter "108CV118136")
  • Adeo Ressi: EDF Ventures vs John Doe Case Status [6]
  • mlive.com: Company files defamation lawsuit against anonymous Web poster
    [4]
  • vimeo: EDF Ventures v. John Doe [3]
  • VentureBeat:  Venture firm EDF moves to silence entrepreneur at TheFunded [7] (contains copy of the subpoena)
  • EDF Ventures v. Doe [8]
Details

Web Site(s) Involved: 

The Funded: EDF Ventures [9]

Content Type: 

  • Text

Publication Medium: 

Forum

Subject Area: 

  • Third-Party Content
  • Anonymity
  • Consumer Ratings and Reviews
Court Information & Documents

Jurisdiction: 

  • California

Source of Law: 

  • California

Court Name: 

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara

Court Type: 

State

Case Number: 

1-08-CV-118136
CMLP Information (Private)

Priority: 

1-High

Threat Source: 

Blog Post

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Source URL (modified on 08/20/2014 - 11:08pm): https://www.dmlp.org/threats/edf-ventures-v-ressi

Links
[1] https://www.dmlp.org/threats/edf-ventures-v-ressi
[2] http://www.thefunded.com/
[3] http://www.vimeo.com/1603073?pg=embed&sec=1603073
[4] http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/08/company_files_defamation_lawsu.html
[5] http://www.sccaseinfo.org/civil.htm
[6] http://www.adeoressi.com/2008/09/03/edf-ventures-vs-john-doe-case-status/
[7] http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/12/venture-firm-edf-moves-to-silence-entrepreneur-at-thefunded/
[8] https://www.dmlp.org/threats/edf-ventures-v-doe
[9] http://thefunded.com/funds/show/EDF+Ventures