Recent Threats Added to the DMLP Database

NOTE: The information and commentary contained in this database entry are based on court filings and other informational sources that may contain unproven allegations made by the parties. The truthfulness and accuracy of such information is likely to be in dispute. Information contained in this entry is current as of the last event mentioned in the "Description" section below; additional proceedings might have taken place in this matter since this event.

Johnson v. Tucker Max

Date: 05/02/2003
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Injunction Issued, Withdrawn
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Florida
Publication: Blog
Tucker Max maintains a website detailing his sexual exploits with women. He had a relationship with former Miss Vermont, Katy Johnson, and put the entire story on his website under the title, the "Miss Vermont Story." Johnson sued Max in...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments

Lexington Homes v. Siskind

Date: 03/24/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Florida
Publication: Website
Peter Siskind hired Lexington Homes to build a house for him in Hernando County, Florida. The business relationship between Siskind and Lexington deteriorated, and Siskind created a "gripe site" (www.badLexingtonhomesinc.net). The home page of the website stated: "This website...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments

Haberman v. Rhoad

Date: 08/23/2006
Status: Pending
Disposition: Injunction Issued
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Florida
Publication: Blog
Kristen Rhoad posted statements on her blog accusing her ex-husband Phil Haberman of abuse and of falsifying his military experience. Sometime in 2006, Haberman sued Rhoad to have the blog removed after the postings were noted in other blogs and newspapers. The...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments

Hunt v. Patten

Date: 03/29/2006
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Florida
Publication: Email, Verbal
Former city manager of Venice, Florida, George Hunt, sued VeniceFlorida.com writer John Patten and local resident Sylvia Parrish for defamation. Hunt had left his post in January 2004 after environmental violations by the city utilities department surfaced. Hunt claims in his lawsuit...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments

Bell v. Shah

Date: 04/27/2005
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Florida, Connecticut
Publication: Website
Joel Bell is an agent for numerous professional athletes in the NBA and elsewhere. Prerak Shah's website, Draftcity.com, specialized in reporting on the prospects of potential draftees of the NBA. Jonathan Givony was a reporter and writer for DraftCity focusing on scouting...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments

Steinbuch v. Cutler

Date: 05/16/2005
Status: Pending
Disposition: Dismissed (partial)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
Publication: Blog
For two weeks in May 2004, Jessica Cutler, a blogger and aide to Ohio Senator Michael DeWine, posted details of her sex life on her blog, The Washingtonienne (now defunct), including her relationship with Robert Steinbuch (using his initials, "RS"),...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:58pm - 0 comments

Choy v. Boyne

Date: 08/17/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Withdrawn
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Connecticut
Publication: Blog
James Boyne created a website about Daniel Choy, a doctor against whom his wife had won a malpractice suit. Choy initially sued for defamation in New York state court. That case was dismissed in April 2006. Choy then sued in Connecticut state...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Boulder County Sheriff v. MySpace

Date: 11/11/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Subpoena Enforced
Type: Subpoena
Jurisdiction: Colorado
Publication: Social Network
MySpace provided records subpoenaed by the Boulder County sheriff's department in a criminal libel investigation, commenced after a Colorado woman reported finding pictures of herself on MySpace under a fake profile named "Dirty Whore" that included information indicating that she was interested...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Yoon v. Carney

Date: 03/22/2007
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Email, Forum
Joanne Yoon filed suit against Jeff Schwilk, the founder of San Diego Minutemen, Sharon Bush, and activist Ray Carney, for defamation over comments and a photograph posted to a password-protected Yahoo group, which implied that she was a prostitute. She also challenged...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

State of Colorado v. Mink

Date: 12/13/2003
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Withdrawn
Type: Criminal Investigation
Jurisdiction: Colorado
Publication: Website
While a student at the University of Northern Colorado, Thomas Mink created a website called the "Howling Pig," which dealt with issues of current interest at the University. Among other things, the website parodied the views of a professor at the University....
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Wald v. Ford

Date: 05/19/2005
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Default Judgment, Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
Jeff Wald sued Luke Ford and anonymous defendants, claiming that Ford posted (and allowed anonymous users to post) defamatory statements about him on lukeford.net. Wald alleged that various statements and innuendo on the site caused readers to believe that he is deceptive,...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

X17 Inc. v. Lavandeira

Date: 11/30/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Injunction Denied, Material Removed, Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
Paparazzi photo agency, X17, sued celebrity gossip blogger Mario Lavandeira (aka Perez Hilton) for allegedly posting its photographic images without permission. The complaint included claims for copyright infringement and unfair competition under the "hot news" misappropriation theory recognized by the...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Splash News & Picture Agency v. Lavandeira

Date: 04/23/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
In April 2007, five paparazzi photography agencies sued Mario Lavandeira, operator of popular celebrity gossip blog, perezhilton.com, in federal district court in California for allegedly posting their photographic images on his blog without permission. The complaint alleges copyright infringement, unfair competition under...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Universal City Studios v. Lavandeira

Date: 02/20/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
Celebrity gossip blogger, Mario Lavandeira (aka Perez Hilton), posted topless photo of Jennifer Aniston on his blog. Universal City Studios claims that the photo was part of the production or post-production footage for the movie "The Break-Up." Universal filed a copyright infringement...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

News America, Inc. v. Google Inc. (Subpoena)

Date: 08/04/2005
Status: Concluded
Disposition: n/a
Type: Subpoena
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
An anonymous blogger posted the entire contents of the New York Post's Page Six column on a blog without advertisements. On July 8, 2005, counsel for News America (the parent company of the Post) sent Google (the parent company of Blogger) a...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

The Permanente Medical Group v. Cooper

Date: 03/15/2005
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Injunction Issued
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
Permanente Medical Group, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (Kaiser) sued fomer employee Elisa Cooper in California state court in March 2005. The complaint alleged that Cooper breached a confidentiality agreement and invaded the privacy of Kaiser patients by posting...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Lake v. Ford

Date: 12/17/1999
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Material Removed, Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
There is little information available about this case. From what CMLP has been able to determine, it appears that Ford posted to his blog photographs of a women having sex with a dog and identified the woman as former Playboy model...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

News America, Inc. v. Google Inc. (Letter)

Date: 07/08/2005
Status: Concluded
Disposition: n/a
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
An anonymous blogger posted the entire contents of the New York Post's Page Six column on a blog without advertisements. On July 8, 2005, counsel for News America (the parent company of the Post) sent Google (the parent company of Blogger) a...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Hagele v. Hanson

Date: 03/02/2006
Status: Pending
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Email, Forum, Website
In January 2003, Brent Hanson filed a lawsuit against Glenn Hagele in the Illinois state court. The Illinois court dismissed the case. In May 2005, Hanson published on his website, LasikFraud.com, a letter which purported to be from "ACE Judgment...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

Holmes v. Ford

Date: 12/14/1999
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
Laurie Holmes, widow of porn actor John Holmes, sued Luke Ford, operator of a porn industry blog, for posting a statement on his website indicating that she had "turned tricks" on the set of some of her husband's movies. On October...
- 09/10/2007 - 3:55pm - 0 comments

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