tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136704562024-03-13T14:04:37.437-04:00Of and ConcerningA blog of and concerning
media, the Internet, and the First AmendmentMichael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-10512721077082121472011-06-16T22:28:00.000-04:002011-06-16T22:28:15.874-04:00Follow me on Twitter @mapjresqBlog's been a bit quiet lately, hasn't it? I've been using Twitter a lot to get out the word, short and to the point, on breaking news and developments concerning media, the First Amendment, and the Internet.<br />
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So if you are a Twitter follower (a Twitteree? Tweetee?) please check out my tweets and follow me <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/mapjresq"><b>@mapjresq</b></a>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-87906413039143015592011-05-02T21:30:00.001-04:002011-05-02T21:31:05.046-04:00World Press Freedom Day: good news, bad news<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7J210_pecQ/Tb9XzlfJ4qI/AAAAAAAAAHU/Xnz0yhR6j5U/s1600/WPFD+banner_horizontal_en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7J210_pecQ/Tb9XzlfJ4qI/AAAAAAAAAHU/Xnz0yhR6j5U/s320/WPFD+banner_horizontal_en.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of WAN-IFRA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The good news is that May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, established by the UN General Assembly in 1993. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year's <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/flagship-project-activities/world-press-freedom-day/2011-themes/">theme</a>, as explained on the UNESCO WPF site, is "<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">the potential of the Internet and digital platforms as well as the more established forms of journalism in contributing to freedom of expression, democratic governance, and sustainable development." </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">For additional information see the UNESCO site or the <a href="http://www.wan-ifra.org/articles/2011/03/31/about-world-press-freedom-day-2011">WPF page</a> at the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) website.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The bad news is that Freedom House released its <a href="http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=668">2011 Freedom of the Press Report</a>, which shows that global media freedom has reached a new low point, with only one in every six people living in a county with a free press. The report notes that particularly troubling trends are in the Middle East and the Americas, with some improvements in sub-Saharan Africa. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartoon by Michel Cambon courtesy of WAN-IFRA.</td></tr>
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</span></span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-80729512235496764912011-04-15T15:57:00.000-04:002011-04-15T15:57:49.138-04:00Protective order trumps public records access rights<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In <a href="http://weblinks.westlaw.com/result/default.aspx?action=Search&cnt=DOC&db=MA-ORCS-WEB&eq=search&fmqv=c&fn=_top&method=TNC&n=1&origin=Search&query=CO%28SJCF+SJCRES+SJCOPJ%29+%26+TI%28FREMONT%29&rlt=CLID_QRYRLT8321550614154&rltdb=CLID_DB362349614154&rlti=1&rp=%2Fsearch%2Fdefault%2Ewl&rs=MACS1%2E0&service=Search&sp=MassOF-1001&srch=TRUE&ss=CNT&sskey=CLID_SSSA1063849614154&sv=Split&vr=1%2E0"><b>Commonwealth v. Fremont Investment & Loan</b></a>, the <b>Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts </b>upheld a trial court's determination that the Massachusetts public records law, <b>G. L. c. 66, sec. 10</b>, does not render ineffective a trial court's protective order. In so doing, the SJC concluded that "the public records law does not abrogate judicial protective orders."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At issue were 5.5 million documents that Fremont had produced in an enforcement action brought against it by the Commonwealth, which alleged unfair and deceptive practices in Fremont's mortgage lending business. Fremont had designated those documents as confidential pursuant to a protective order entered by the trial judge in that case, which was settled with the entry of a consent decree in 2009.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Samuel J. Lieberman</b> sought access to those documents under the state public records law, for use in connection with a potential class action case against Fremont. The Attorney General refused to produce documents designated by Fremont as confidential.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lieberman argued that because the documents did not fall within one of the exemptions stated in the records law, they must be produced notwithstanding the trial court's protective order. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In rejecting his argument, the SJC acknowledged that while the subject documents might not be exempt from access under the records law, Lieberman's "conclusion that the records must therefore be disclosed is based on the mistaken premise that all documents in the hands of public officials must, absent an applicable exception, be made public notwithstanding a court order prohibiting their circulation. We do not agree that the public records law was intended to extend this far."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The SJC noted that the records action judge had not addressed all questions at issue in the case , such as "<span style="color: black;">whether the order should be modified for other reasons, or whether certain documents designated confidential by Fremont are not validly protected by the order."</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-39754202913893646862011-04-11T12:14:00.000-04:002011-04-11T12:14:01.116-04:00If at first you don't succeed?<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">In 2006, when confronted with an anti-SLAPP defense motion, rabbi <b>Mordechai Tendler</b> withdrew subpoenas to <b>Google</b>, in which he sought the identity of anonymous bloggers who had commented on his dismissal from a New York synagogue over allegations of sexual relations with members of the congregation.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">He's back ...</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><b>Public Citizen</b> <a href="http://pubcit.typepad.com/clpblog/2011/04/the-randy-rabbi-returns.html">reports</a> on its <b>Consumer Law & Policy Blog</b> that the "Randy Rabbi" is back, once again armed with a subpoena aimed at discovering the identity of the same anonymous bloggers. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Tendler obtained a liability judgment against the synagogue that dismissed him, and now claims that he needs to know the identity of the anonymous bloggers to gather evidence in support of his damages claim against the synagogue.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">The Public Citizen blog piece has a link to a page it maintains about the subpoena efforts, including a link to the <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/Tendler_v_Doe_Memo_Support_Motion_Quash_April2011.pdf">memo</a> in support of a motion to quash the subpoena, which was filed recently in a New York trial court by the <b>Public Citizen Litigation Group</b> on behalf of the anonymous bloggers.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">The bases of the motion to quash are that Tendler failed to comply with a New York state procedural requirement that he state the reasons why the disclosure he seeks is warranted, and because enforcement of the subpoena would violate the bloggers' First Amendment rights.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-17018333083827721872011-04-06T10:07:00.000-04:002011-04-06T10:07:01.900-04:00Invitation to a special Ford Hall Forum event<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On <b>April 21</b> the <a href="http://www.fordhallforum.org/"><b>Ford Hall Forum</b></a> is presenting its 31st annual First Amendment award to retired <i>New York Times</i> columnist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/library/opinion/lewis/bio_lewis.html"><b>Anthony Lewis</b></a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you may know, Lewis (who is the husband of recently-retired SJC <b>Chief Justice Margaret Marshall</b>) is the author of <i>Gideon’s Trumpet</i>, <i>Make No Law</i>, and <i>Freedom for the Thought We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment</i>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am honored to have been asked by the Ford Hall Forum to serve on the First Amendment Award 2011 Event Committee, and I want to invite you to attend the award ceremony and forum (which is free and open to the public), as well as a private pre-ceremony reception.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ford Hall Forum’s <b>Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award</b> commends individuals and entities for extraordinary commitment to the thoughtful exercise of the freedom of expression. Previous First Amendment Award recipients include civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis, Tiananmen Square rebel and astrophysicist <span style="color: #191919;">Fang Lizhi</span>, and NPR journalists <span style="color: #191919;">Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, and Linda Wertheimer. Honorees like these best exemplify the spirit of the Ford Hall Forum, which for over a century has given acclaimed experts a chance to disseminate controversial opinions on the issues of our time, while providing the public opportunities to openly challenge them.<br />
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<span style="color: #191919;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The evening's events will start at <b>5:00 p.m.</b> when the Forum will hold a <b>reception</b> <b>with Anthony Lewis</b> at the offices of Prince Lobel Glovsky & Tye in Boston. Reception tickets (which will include priority seating at the forum) are available for <a href="http://www.fordhallforum.org/faa-reception-2011">purchase here</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #191919;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you or your firm or business are interested in sponsoring this prestigious reception, please <a href="mailto:mpezza@mpezzalaw.com">contact me</a>. Sponsorship levels range from $500 to $5,000, and include tickets to the reception, an ad in the program booklet, and, depending on the level of sponsorship, your name or logo in various Forum email announcements or brochures, or on the Forum's Website, and, at the highest level, recognition as an event underwriter.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #191919;">The <b>Award Ceremony and forum</b> begins at <b>6:30 p.m.</b> at Suffolk University’s <a href="http://www.fordhallforum.org/directions/cwalsh">C. Walsh Theatre</a>. <b>Floyd Abrams</b>, America’s leading First Amendment lawyer, will guide a fascinating conversation with Lewis on his life and career (including his time as a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 20px;">Nieman Scholar at Harvard, Editor-in-Chief for the London office of the <i>Times</i>, professor of journalism, and longtime “At Home Abroad” columnist for the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 20px;"><i>Times),</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919;"> and his demonstrated passion for the First Amendment.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919;">The Awards Ceremony and forum is <i>free and open to the public</i>, but you do need to <a href="http://www.fordhallforum.org/programs/first-amendment-award-2011">register here</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919;">for a free ticket.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919;">I hope that you will be able to join us for an exciting evening.</span></span><br />
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</div>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-67509834767106163852011-04-05T13:18:00.001-04:002011-04-05T13:19:34.246-04:00Appealing music<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit heard oral argument yesterday in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><i><b>Sony BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum</b>,</i><em style="color: #444444;"> </em></span>the cases brought by the recording industry against Boston University grad student <b>Joel Tenenbaum</b>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tenebaum is appealing the judgment against him for downloading 30 songs. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Concluding that the jury's damage award of $675,000 was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">so "unprecedented and oppressive" that it could not withstand scrutiny under the Due Process Clause of the U. S. Constitution, the trial judge, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>District Judge Nancy Gertner</b>, had reduced the award to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">$67,500, an amount she described as still "severe, even harsh." </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On appeal, Tenenbaum argues, among other things, that the award remains unconstitutionally excessive and that the Digital Theft Deterrence Act of 1999, which provided the basis for an increased range of statutory damages for copyright infringement (see <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#504">17 U.S.C. Sec. 504(c)</a>), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">was not intended to apply to individual, non-commercial consumers.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The music companies appeal Judge Gertner's reduction of the award.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can listen to an audio recording of the oral arguments <a href="http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/files/audio/10-1883.mp3">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tenenbaum is represented by a team of lawyers and law students led by Harvard Law School professor <a href="http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/cnesson"><b>Charles Nesson</b></a>, and on Monday </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HLS 3L J<b>ason Harrow</b> argued on behalf of Tenenbaum.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> A Web site, <a href="http://joelfightsback.com/#">Joel Fights Back</a>, is dedicated to the cause. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is only the second case to go to trial against an individual accused of unlawful music dowloading/sharing. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2008 the music industry decided to no longer pursue individuals for allegedly unlawful music downloading or sharing (<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122966038836021137.html">as reported in this <i>Wall Street Journal</i> article</a>), but that it would continue with suits already in progress.</span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-13959311090854566922011-03-25T13:16:00.000-04:002011-03-25T13:16:49.923-04:00Now appearing in the ABA Journal Legal Blawg DirectoryI am happy to announce that this blog now appears in the <b><a href="http://www.abajournal.com/blawg/Of_and_Concerning/">ABA Journal Blawg Directory</a>,</b> where it is listed in a number of categories, including First Amendment, Constitutional Law, Media & Communications Law, and Internet Law. The directory is a good resource if you are looking for blogs on particular legal topics.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-86280333322143063182011-03-04T14:18:00.002-05:002011-03-04T16:13:14.327-05:00Love's pricey tweets<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Hollywood Reporter</b> broke the <b><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/thr-esq/courtney-love-pay-430000-settle-163919">news </a></b>yesterday on its always entertaining <b>Hollywood, Esq.</b> <b>(the intersection of entertainment and law)</b> Web page that <b>Courtney Love</b> has settled a defamation case against her for a reported $430,000. The case arose from a series of tweets that Love posted on Twitter about fashion designer <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; line-height: 19px;"><strong>Dawn Simorangkir</strong>, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">the self-described <b><a href="http://www.theboudoirqueen.com/">Boudoir Queen</a> </b>whose online, one-line bio states "eccentric living is what I do best."</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As reported by THR, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; line-height: 19px;">Simorangkir</span> became embroiled in a dispute with Love over a $4,000 payment for clothing, and accused Love of ruining her business with a series of allegedly defamatory tweets (including referring to Simorangkir as an "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">asswipe nasty lying hosebag thief”)</span> posted during a "20 minute rant" in 2009.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In its article, THR reports that Love had argued in her defense that her rants were merely an expression of opinion, and that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Simorangkir</span> could not prove how they damaged her. The designer, it is reported, pointed to Loves's influence as an entertainer and the power of social media to disseminate damaging comments.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While Love might have felt that it was "Awful" that she was "Hit So Hard" by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Simorangkir's</span> suit, which Love, perhaps having thicker "Celebrity Skin" might have thought was "Uncool," THR reports that her lawyer is pleased with the deal, which he views as a modest payout because it is extended over the next few years.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is reported elsewhere that while Love wanted the settlement to remain confidential, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Simorangkir</span> insisted upon going public, perhaps as a show of vindication. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Simorangkir</span> might even feel that the money she will receive and the publicity about the settlement is "Almost Golden."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bonus First Amendment Trivia: Love was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the 1996 film <b>The People v. Larry Flynt</b>, which is based in part on the legendary Supreme Court case <b><i><a href="http://supreme.justia.com/us/485/46/case.html">Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell</a></i></b>, and in which Love starred as Flynt's wife.</span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-86032635824936865482011-03-03T13:58:00.001-05:002011-03-03T14:04:19.459-05:00Speech We Hate, Speech We Protect<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If <b>Anthony Lewis</b> issues a revised edition of his excellent book <i><b>Freedom for the Thought We Hate--A Biography of the First Amendment</b></i> I have little doubt that he will include a discussion of yesterday's decision by the Supreme Court in <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/09-751.pdf"><b>Snyder V. Phelps</b></a>.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are few better examples of repugnant, hateful, and odious speech than that presented in <i>Snyder</i>, where a group of seemingly half-witted, delusional members of a so-called "church" protested--as is their habit--in the vicinity of a funeral service for a fallen American soldier.* As widely reported, the members of this so-called church have for many years picketed military soldiers to communicate their belief that God hates the United States for its tolerance of gays, particularly in the military. The picketing in Snyder involved the so-called pastor and six of members of his "church," all related to the "pastor." Among other things, their placards included one reading, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As I said: repugnant, hateful, odious. Not to mention half-baked and delusional.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But as the Court held in its 8-1 decision(Justice Alito dissenting), they are protected from tort liability arising from that speech by the First Amendment. As the Court concluded:</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here—inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate. That choice requires that we shield Westboro from tort liability for its picketing in this case.</span></blockquote><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The speech at issue here is speech most Americans hate, but the Court rightly decided it must be protected. The decision does indeed reflect freedom for the thought we hate.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The title of Lewis' book pays homage to a dissent by <b>Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.</b> in the 1929 case of <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=279&invol=644"><b><i>U. S. v. Schwimmer</i></b></a>. In that case, the Court ruled that citizenship could be denied a foreign-born applicant who refused, due to her strong pacifist beliefs, to take an oath to take up arms in defense of the United States. In his dissent, Holmes stated with regard to her beliefs:</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of her answers might excite popular prejudice, but if there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought—not free thought for those who agree with us but <b>freedom for the thought that we hate.</b> I would suggest that the Quakers have done their share to make the country what it is, that many citizens agree with the applicant's belief and that I had not supposed hitherto that we regretted our inability to expel them because they believed more than some of us do in the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.</span></blockquote><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In his book, Lewis recalls the time he first read that passage, around 1960 when it was--literally--handed to him by Justice Felix Frankfurter, and how when he came to the end of the paragraph he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. (Lewis 37) I am surprised that the spot-on wording by Justice Holmes did not find its way into the <i>Snyder </i>opinion.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">______________________</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">* = Contrary to common lore--particularity on certain talk radio stations--the Court noted that the protests were peaceful and conducted about 1,000 feet away from the funeral service, in accordance with local requirements. The funeral procession itself came no closer than 200 to 300 feet from the protesters. And Albert Snyder, the plaintiff and father of the slain soldier, testified that he saw only the tops of the signs and could not read what they said when the procession passed by the protesters, learning only later that day the content of their speech.</span></div>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-83214140865064488012011-02-26T12:35:00.000-05:002011-02-26T12:35:07.872-05:00Recipe for dismissalA New York state trial court this week tossed out a <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=OngETBBRXLh5CRaCraDSCQ==&system=prod">defamation claim</a> brought by cookbook author <b><a href="http://www.thesneakychef.com/missy_chase_lapine_bio.php">Missy Chase Lapine</a> </b>against comedian <b>Jerry Seinfeld</b>, apparently concluding that Lapine's recipe for legal relief had the wrong ingredients.<br />
<br />
The court's <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=tirVQewp3WsqYxqD+Wu8Gg==&system=prod">24-page decision and order</a> in <i><b>Lapine v. Seinfeld</b></i> also dismissed claims against Harper Collins, which passed on publishing Lapine's cookbook (later published by Running Press as <b><i><a href="http://www.thesneakychef.com/book1_the_sneaky_chef.php">The Sneaky Chef</a></i></b>) and then published a cookbook by Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, <a href="http://www.doitdelicious.com/cookbooks/deceptively_delicious/">Deceptively Delicious</a>.<br />
<br />
Both books offered ways to sneak veggies and other healthy foods into meals for kids.<br />
<br />
Lapine alleged that Seinfeld used an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szzhsGfy4-Q">appearance on the David Letterman show</a> to launch an attack on Lapine due to mounting charges of plagiarism concerning Jessica Seinfeld's book. Lapine said in her complaint that on Letterman Seinfeld made outrageously false statements about her mental health. The allegedly defamatory statements included calling Lapine "a wacko" and "a nut," stating that she was "angry and hysterical," and "a mentally unhinged stalker" of the Seinfelds, and observing that "many of the three-name people do become assassins."<br />
<br />
The court noted that expressions of opinion are constitutionally protected, and then found it "inconceivable" that a reasonable viewer would believe that Seinfeld's statements conveyed facts about Lapine.<br />
<br />
Lapine argued in opposing Seinfled's <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=Wi6ATK7yODUiOhoPu32diw==&system=prod">motion to dismiss</a> that Seinfeld defamed her by conveying the "unmistakable message" to the TV viewers that "Lapine had fabricated opportunistic allegations of plagiarism against his wife."<br />
<br />
In rejecting that argument, the court explained that Seinfeld's are protected not because they were made in a comedic context or were themselves comedy, but because they were statements of opinion that are not actionable as a mater of law.<br />
<br />
The court concluded by stating that to decide otherwise in this case would deny "protection of the First Amendment to persons who publicly defend themselves against what they believe to be baseless public charges or lawsuits."Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-33944023617577031212011-02-24T22:41:00.005-05:002011-02-25T12:39:26.824-05:00No chance for LaChance<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a to-the-point rescript <a href="http://www.sociallaw.com/slip.htm?cid=20495&sid=119"><b>opinion </b></a>in <b><i>Edward D. LaChance, Jr. v. Boston Herald et al</i>.</b>,the <b>Appeals Court of Massachusetts</b> this week affirmed a summary judgment dismissal of defamation and other claims brought by LaChance, an incarcerated prisoner, against the <b>Boston Herald</b> and one of its reporters.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2004, while serving a sentence for aggravated rape, LaChance placed a personal ad on a Web site known as “Inmate Connections” (in violation of prison rules barring maximum security inmates from Internet access). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2005, the Herald published three articles on the topic of online “dating" by incarcerated felons. The articles variously stated—incorrectly—that LaChance had been convicted of manslaughter, that he claimed in his ad to be in prison for manslaughter, and that he had committed a brutal sexual attack on an elderly woman.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Herald and its reporter concede that those assertions were factually inaccurate, in that LaChance was not in prison for manslaughter, did not make such a claim in his ad, and did not commit a crime against an elderly victim.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trial court ruled that the alleged defamatory statements were either privileged or substantially true, and granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In affirming the dismissal, the Appeals Court concluded that the newspaper articles at issue addressed matters of public concern—the dangers of interacting with violent felons online—and that as a result of his own actions—whereby LaChance thrust himself into a particular public controversy—LaChance was a limited purpose public figure. In arriving at that conclusion, the court noted that LaChance’s ad was misleading and controversial, finding particularly deceptive his assertion that, “I’m not a bad man and I treat everyone the way I wish to be treated.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The court then turned to whether the subject statements were false and made with actual malice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although the articles contained inaccuracies (even a literal falsehood), the court concluded that such statements did not rise to the level of actionable falsity or defamation. The gist of the articles was accurate: inmate ads should not be trusted in general, and LaChance’s ad in particular was dangerously deceptive in that he withheld details of his violent criminal history and portrayed himself in a light that might seem more innocuous to potential respondents on the match-making site.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As LaChance offered no proof of actual malice—that is, that the statements were published with knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for whether they were false—LaChance failed to carry his burden of proving actual malice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, the court rejected LaChance’s contention that the fair reporting privilege did not apply to his case. The published article contained a fair and accurate report of a court docket entry as it existed at the time of publication. Even though the entry was in error, it was not corrected until months after the publication of the articles, and the paper had no way of knowing about the error at the time of publication. As such, the reference to a brutal sexual attack on an elderly woman was, although inaccurate, privileged and insulated from a claim of defamation.</span></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span>And to answer your question ("<i>Who would represent this guy in a defamation case?</i>") ... yes, LaChance represented himself. The media defendants were represented by Liz Ritvo.</span></span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-46801171767050825402011-02-15T12:43:00.000-05:002011-02-15T12:43:40.472-05:00Post-Season Play?<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Super Bowl is history, and pitchers and catchers have headed south for spring training, but for those of us keeping an eye on media and First Amendment issues, football is not yet out of the picture. At least not the off-field contest now being waged by <b>Dan Snyder</b>, principal owner of the <b>Washington Redskins</b>, against the <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/"><b>Washington City Paper</b></a> and related entities.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In his <b><a href="http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/files/snyder-complaint.pdf">Complaint</a></b>, Snyder alleges that the paper "has engaged in an ongoing campaign against [him] to smear his business and personal reputation through the publication of false and malicious articles ... ." Snyder's "ability to turn the other cheek" allegedly was exhausted by a November 18, 2010, cover story, which he alleges provided "an 'encyclopedic tour' of the 'heinous deeds' and 'various perfidies of Dan Snyder'." </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Snyder's complaint--which includes as an exhibit a copy of a November 24, 2010, <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=tirVQewp3Ws1eN6FGDX3Pg==&system=prod"><b>letter sent by David P. Donovan</b></a>, Redskins' General Counsel, to individuals associated with the paper's ownership group--apparently refers to the piece by columnist <b>Dave McKenna</b>, <b>"The Cranky Redskins Fan's Guide to Dan Snyder</b>." An <b><a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/40063/the-cranky-redskins-fans-guide-to-dan-snyder/">online copy</a></b> of that piece is dated November 19, 2010, and now includes a link to a <b><a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/legaldefense/">letter from Amy Austin</a></b>, publisher of the paper, concerning the legal action and a defense fund.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The paper is represented by <b>Seth Berlin</b> at the prominent media and First Amendment law firm <a href="http://www.lskslaw.com/"><b>Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz</b></a>. The paper's ownership group is represented by First Amendment powerhouse <b>Floyd Abrams</b> from <a href="http://www.cahill.com/index.html"><b>Cahill Gordon & Reindell</b></a>.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now that Snyder has kicked off, stay tuned for details about the return by the defense. Given the First Amendment values here, I expect we will see a Statue of Liberty play at some point, and a strong blitz if Snyder regains possession.</span></span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-83236226485515793842011-02-14T13:26:00.002-05:002011-02-24T20:03:37.139-05:00Stormy WeatherSpeaking of Sunshine Week, this is a great cartoon by <a href="http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoonist/profile.cfm/WuerkM/"><b>Matt Wuerker</b></a>, an editorial cartoonist for <a href="http://www.politico.com/"><b>The Politico</b> </a>and 2010 winner of the <a href="http://www.herbblockfoundation.org/herblock-prize"><b>Herblock Prize</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duJvkkcdjKI/TVly6soGQyI/AAAAAAAAAG0/v_YCScgk798/s1600/edtoon3-9bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duJvkkcdjKI/TVly6soGQyI/AAAAAAAAAG0/v_YCScgk798/s400/edtoon3-9bw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Used with permission.</span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-3425032387727178112011-02-14T12:51:00.001-05:002011-02-24T20:06:45.390-05:00Sunshine Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eq-kd2qvTM4/TVlqugAw_0I/AAAAAAAAAGw/crdFUsCBNyI/s1600/rlogohc150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eq-kd2qvTM4/TVlqugAw_0I/AAAAAAAAAGw/crdFUsCBNyI/s200/rlogohc150.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sunshine Week</b> is in one month, March 13-19.<br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As explained on the <a href="http://www.sunshineweek.org/Home.aspx">Sunshine Week Web site</a>, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know."<br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more information, check out the Web site.</span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-11687332643632718192011-02-11T15:53:00.003-05:002011-02-13T10:58:07.018-05:00No Sure Thing in JerseyEarlier this week the Supreme Court of New Jersey heard oral argument in a case concerning the application of <a href="http://lis.njleg.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientID=237601&Depth=2&depth=2&expandheadings=on&headingswithhits=on&hitsperheading=on&infobase=statutes.nfo&record={114F}&softpage=Doc_Frame_PG42">New Jersey's shield law</a> to statements posted online by an independent, investigative blogger. The case is <i><b>Too Much Media, Inc. v. Shellee Hale.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><br />
<a href="https://www.toomuchmedia.com/index.htm?tmmatt=1"></a></span></b></i><br />
<i><b><a href="https://www.toomuchmedia.com/index.htm?tmmatt=1">TMM </a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">is a New Jersey software company that provides software for Internet businesses, reportedly including those in the online adult entertainment business. </span></b></i><br />
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<b>Hale</b>, a resident of Washington and former Microsoft employee, was investigating organized crime infiltration of the online porn industry, and had set up a Web site, <a href="http://pornafia.com/"><b>Pornafia.com</b></a> (which now forwards to shelleehale.com), to report on her investigative work.<br />
<br />
Hale posted the remarks that are the subject of TMM's defamation action on a bulletin board of another site, <b>Oprano.com</b>, which <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">describes itself as "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">the Wall Street Journal for the online adult entertainment industry."</span> Hale allegedly accused TMM of engaging in fraudulent practices and of threatening the life of someone who divulged details of TMM's activities. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In response to plaintiff's discovery seeking the identity of Hale's confidential source, Hale invoked the protection of the New Jersey shield law. The trial court and the lower level appeals court ruled against her.</span><br />
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At issue is whether a blogger such as Hale, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">who operated a Web site she claimed was intended for investigative reporting on issues of public importance, and who posted allegedly defamatory information about TMM on another Web site’s bulletin board, is a journalist entitled to the protection of New Jersey’s shield law and the First Amendment? Also at issue is </span>whether the trial court erred in subjecting Hale to a preliminary hearing to determine whether she qualified for the protection of the statute.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">You can read <b><a href="http://www.rcfp.org/news/documents/20101207-amicusbriefintoomuchmediallcvhale.pdf">here</a> </b>a</span>n amicus brief filed in support of Hale by the <b><a href="http://www.rcfp.org/index.php">Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.gannett.com/">Gannett</a></b>, and the <b><a href="http://www.spj.org/">Society of Professional Journalists</a></b> . As noted in that brief, the New Jersey shield law was enacted in 1933 and is considered one of the strongest in the country.<br />
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An archived Webcast of the oral argument should be available <b><a href="http://njlegallib.rutgers.edu/supct/bydate.php#year2011">here</a> </b>soon.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for more on the situation in New Jersey.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-57059785295889040832009-11-03T11:10:00.008-05:002011-02-15T09:31:01.442-05:00Do the right thingYesterday the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard argument in the case of <strong><em>Fustolo v. Hollander</em></strong>, SJC-10485. The underlying action involves a defamation claim brought by a real estate developer, Steven C. Fustolo, against <strong>Fredda Hollander</strong>, a reporter for a community newspaper, the <strong><em>Regional Review</em></strong>, and a neighborhood activist. Fustolo alleged that Hollander defamed him in five articles she wrote for the paper.<br />
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Hollander appealed from a <a href="http://mpezzalaw.com/new_resources_cases.html">denial by Superior Court Judge Geraldine Hines </a>of her special motion to dismiss under the Massachusetts anti-SLAPP statute, <a href="http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/231-59h.htm">G. L. c. 231, sec. 59H</a>.<br />
<br />
The <strong>Massachusetts ACLU</strong>, joined by the <strong>Citizen Media Law Project</strong> and the <strong>Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights</strong>, submitted an amicus brief in support of Hollander's position.<br />
<br />
Copies of the briefs submitted by the parties, and the amicus brief, can be found <a href="http://www.ma-appellatecourts.org/display_docket.php?dno=SJC-10485">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Both Hollander's reply brief and the amicus brief, cite <em><a href="http://ofandconcerning.blogspot.com/2009/07/newspaper-wins-dismissal-of-defamation.html">Joyce v. Slager</a></em>, a case in which I successfully moved under the Anti-SLAPP statute for the dismissal of a defamation action against my clients, a newspaper and its publisher.<br />
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Click <a href="http://www.suffolk.edu/sjc/archive/2009/SJC_10485.html">here</a> for a link to the Webcast of the SJC argument.<br />
<br />
<em>Bottom line</em>: Hollander should prevail in her appeal.<br />
<br />
Nothing in the statue precludes its application to individuals or entities engaged in commerce. As Harvey S. Shapiro, counsel for Hollander, noted in his argument, the commercial context of Hollander's petitioning activity pales in comparison to the commercial nature of defendants in cases where the statue has been applied.<br />
<br />
Second, nothing in the statute precludes the application of the statue to journalists or the media. If such a limitation is to be imposed--which I would argue it should not--it should be done by the legislature, not the courts.<br />
<br />
Some of the questions from the bench seemed to suggest that if the Court acknowledged the application of the anti-SLAPP statue to journalists, then defamation law would be tossed aside.<br />
<br />
Not so.<br />
<br />
In arguing for a dismissal under the statute, a moving party first must establish that its conduct at issue in the defamation claim was petitioning activity. The opposing party then has the opportunity to show that the petitioning activity was devoid of any reasonable factual support or any arguable basis in law, and that the moving party’s acts caused actual injury to the opposing party. If the opposing party sustains that burden, then the special motion to dismiss will be denied, and the defamation case may continue.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-14990737499502238142009-10-13T14:27:00.006-04:002011-02-15T09:28:43.028-05:00Staples Nails VerdictThe <a href="http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202434506852&Jury_Says_No_to_Libel_Claim_Over_Truthful_EMail">National Law Journal </a>reports that last week a jury sitting in the <em><strong>Noonan v. Staples </strong></em>case in federal court in Boston found that when Staples sent a mass email about a former employee's violation of company travel and expense policies it did not do so with actual malice.<br /><br />Earlier this year the First Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="http://ofandconcerning.blogspot.com/2009/03/truth-but-consequences.html">rejected a dismissal of the case</a> against Staples, holding that the plaintiff could seek to establish a libel claim based on the publication of truthful facts if they were published with "actual malevolent intent or ill will." In so doing, the Court relied on an old Massachusetts law, <a href="http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/231-92.htm">G. L. c. 231, sec. 92</a>, which provides that truth is a justification for a publication alleged to be libellous, unless it was published with actual malice.<br /><br />The jury in the Staples case evidently found that there was no such "actual malice" on the part of Staples.<br /><br />It is important to note that the use of the term "actual malice" in the 1902 Massachusetts statute long-predates, and should not be confused with, the the term "actual malice" used by the Supreme Court of the United States in the seminal 1963 case of <a href="http://supreme.justia.com/us/376/254/case.html">New York Times v. Sullivan</a>. In that case, the Court laid out constitutional standards to protect the press from defamation claims brought by public officials. holding that a public official could not recover for libel unless the plaintiff could show that the defamatory statement was made with "actual malice," which the Court defined as making the defamatory statement with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard of whether it was true or false.<br /><br /><br />The <em>Noonan</em> case, of course, involved a private plaintiff and defendant.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-77845573010690727782009-10-07T11:41:00.003-04:002009-10-16T17:31:05.951-04:00Barking up the wrong treeThe Third Circuit Court of Appeals was right in striking down a federal law concerning depictions of animal cruelty. The statute, <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00000048----000-.html">18 U.S.C. 48</a>, is both overly-broad and vague. The First Amendment rights at stake are far too valuable to rely upon prosecutorial restraint for their protection, as argued by the government.<br /><br />The U. S. Supreme Court, which heard argument yesterday in the case, <a href="http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2009/2009_08_769"><span style="font-style: italic;">U. S. v. Stevens</span></a>, should affirm the <a href="http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/052497p.pdf">Third Circuit's decision</a>.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-33096838647431396242009-07-23T11:57:00.021-04:002009-11-17T17:30:39.426-05:00Newspaper Wins Dismissal of Defamation SLAPP Suit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2yaZKH7r144/SwMjqWcQjqI/AAAAAAAAAGI/pvTRtYltSrw/s1600/iStock_000004494170XSmall_stacks_papers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2yaZKH7r144/SwMjqWcQjqI/AAAAAAAAAGI/pvTRtYltSrw/s200/iStock_000004494170XSmall_stacks_papers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405203188260310690" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 200%;font-family:';font-size:10;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Statute a</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span><span style="line-height: 200%;font-family:';font-size:10;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">pplies to commercial media entities.
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mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">A Massachusetts trial court judge recently dismissed a defamation case brought by a police chief against my clients, a local newspaper and its publisher. The court’s decision in the case, <i>Thomas A. Joyce v. Robert Slager and The Wareham Observer</i>, appears to be the first known decision in Massachusetts where a defamation case against a commercial media defendant has been dismissed under the Massachusetts anti-SLAPP statute. <u>
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<br /></u>The court determined that the statements at issue were protected petitioning activity, rejected plaintiff’s contention that prior Massachusetts case law barred commercial entities or commercial media entities from the statute’s protection, and concluded that the special motion to dismiss must be allowed because the plaintiff failed to meet his burdens under the statute.<u>
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<br /></u>Plaintiff Thomas Joyce has been chief of police in Wareham, Massachusetts, for many years. <i>The Wareham Observer</i> is a small, weekly newspaper, which seeks to encourage citizen participation in town government. Defendant Robert Slager is the publisher of the paper, and, at the time of the subject publications, its sole full-time employee.<u>
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<br /></u>In his complaint, Joyce cited as false and defamatory three specific items: a headline, a paragraph in an opinion column, and a sentence in a short blurb, asserting that each was published “with actual malice and actual knowledge of its falsity or a high degree of awareness of its probable falsity.”<b face="verdana"><u><span style="color: black;">
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<br /></span></u><span style="color: black;">We Said</span></b><u>
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<br /></u>Defendants argued that the anti-SLAPP statute applies to newspapers and other media entities, that each of the subject statements fell within the statute’s definition of petitioning activity, and that plaintiff’s defamation claims were based solely on that petitioning activity. The defendants emphasized that commercial media were not excluded from the statute’s protection either by the terms of the statute itself or by Massachusetts common law (and that nothing in the <i>Paton</i> decision limited the application of the statute to non-commercial media entities), and that the statute’s protection was not restricted to petitioning activity concerning matters under active consideration.<b face="verdana"><u>
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<br /></u>He Said</b><u>
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<br /></u>Joyce opposed the special motion on the grounds, essentially, that “commercial media enterprises” are not entitled to protection under the statute, and that even if they are, the subject statements were devoid of reasonable factual support. He argued that the statute only protected petitioning activity of a “private citizen,” that the statute did not apply to a commercial media entity (and that <i>MacDonald v. Paton</i>, a 2003 decision of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, acknowledged the statute’s protection only as to a non-commercial, individual Web site operator), and that petitioning activity must involve issues under active governmental consideration.<b face="verdana"><u>
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<br /></u>The Decision Read</b><u>
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<br /></u>The court rejected Joyce’s arguments that the subject statements do not qualify as petitioning activity because they were made in support of a commercial enterprise, that commercial entities are barred from enjoying the protection of the statute, that petitioning activity must be by someone acting as a private citizen in order to be protected, and that no media defendant can enjoy the protection of the statute. The court also stated that petitioning activity need not be motivated by a matter of public concern or be undertaken simultaneously with active governmental review in order to be subject to the statute’s protection.<u>
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<br /></u>The court then stated how each of the subject statements qualified as protected petitioning activity. In doing so, the court cited instances where one or another of the three subject statements had caused people to contact selectmen, or caused selectmen to investigate Joyce’s activities. The court concluded that the defendants had met the burden of showing that Joyce’s claims were based solely on defendants’ petitioning activity, and that they were entitled to invoke the statute’s protection.<u>
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<br /></u>In discussing why Joyce then failed to meet his burden of showing that the petitioning activity was devoid of any reasonable factual support, the court cited the factual bases advanced by the defendants, and also noted that any minor inaccuracies found in hindsight are protected under law if a statement was reasonably supported by fact at the time it was made. Implicitly acknowledging that the standard under a special motion to dismiss is not the same as that used in assessing a rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, the court further noted that Joyce could not meet his burden simply by stating conflicting facts without any support because he is not here entitled to any inferences in his favor. <u>
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<br /></u>Noting that Joyce did not address whether the subject statements had any arguable basis in law (one of the standards stated in the statute), the court agreed with the defendants, and concluded that the statements had at least an arguable basis in law under <i>New York Times v. Sullivan</i>, and, further, that in Massachusetts commentary is a legally protected expression of opinion.<u>
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<br /> <!--[endif]--></u></span>Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-55398311938681500022009-07-16T13:19:00.004-04:002009-07-16T13:29:24.852-04:00You're Dismissed!A new Jersey state superior court judge Wednesday dismissed <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>the defamation case brought by <a href="http://www.trump.com/Donald_J_Trump/Donald_J_Trump.asp"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Donald Trump</span></a> against an author, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Timothy L. O'Brien</span>, who had stated in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/TrumpNation-Donald-Timothy-L-OBrien/dp/0446578541#reader"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Trump Nation: The Art of Being the Donald</span></a> that Trump was worth (only) $150 to $250 million. Trump asserted that at the time the book was published he was actually worth $4 or 5 billion.<br /><br />The court concluded that Trump had failed to show by clear and convincing evidence that the author had acted with actual malice.<br /><br />Trump, who sought $5 billion in damages, indicated he will appeal.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-87744496375898953752009-07-15T15:36:00.006-04:002011-02-15T09:34:24.865-05:00Court protects anonymous Internet speechIn <a href="http://www.citmedialaw.org/sites/citmedialaw.org/files/2009-02-27-Maryland%20Court%20of%20Appeals%20Decision%20in%20Independent%20Newspapers,%20Inc.%20v.%20Brodie.pdf"><span style="font-style: italic;">Brodie v. Independent Newspapers</span></a>, the Maryland Court of Appeals recognized that the First Amendment requires certain procedural safeguards before the identity of anonymous bloggers and other Web site authors can be compelled. The Court joined the growing rank of courts in other states in applying a balancing test. The court refused to permit the disclosure of the identity of a number of individuals who anonymously posted comments on a Web site.<br />
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For a good overview of the decision, see Samantha Fredickson's article, <a href="http://www.rcfp.org/news/mag/33-2/a_big_win_for_anonymous_web_speech_20.html"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A big win for anonymous Web speech</span></a>, in the <a href="http://www.rcfp.org/news/mag/33-2/_contents.html">Spring issue</a> of <span style="font-weight: bold;">The News Media and the Law</span>, published by <a href="http://www.rcfp.org/news/mag/33-2/a_big_win_for_anonymous_web_speech_20.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press</span></a>.<br />
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For additional details and commentary, and links to pertinent materials and other sites, see the <a href="http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/brodie-v-independent-newspapers-inc-lawsuit#description">discussion posted by Sam Bayard</a> at the <a href="http://www.citmedialaw.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">Citizen Media Law Project </a>Web site.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-13981817066765500742009-07-06T15:55:00.010-04:002011-02-15T09:24:04.911-05:00A pre-July 4 sparklerIn an illuminating pre-Independence Day display of judicial clarity, U.S. District Judge Patti Saris has disposed of former Massachusetts Superior Court judge <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ernest Murphy's</span> attempt to obtain $6.8 million dollars from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mutual Insurance Company Limited</span>, an insurer for the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Boston Herald</span>.<br /><br />Murphy's consumer protection law claim against the insurer arose out of his successful 2005 defamation trial against the Herald and one of its reporters. That case concerned reports in the Herald attributing certain comments to Murphy regarding cases before him.<br /><br />The 2005 defamation trial resulted in an award to Murphy of more than $2 million. The Herald appealed the verdict, but it was upheld in a 2007 decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.<br /><br />Within days of that SJC's decision, Mutual Insurance paid Murphy more than $3.4 million in satisfaction of the judgment, which amount included interest and costs. A month later, however, Murphy demanded an additional $6.8 million from the insurer, claiming that it had violated Massachusetts law concerning insurance claims practices and consumer protection. The amount demanded by Murphy was three times the amount of the jury verdict with interest.<br /><br />Mutual Insurance subsequently commenced a declaratory judgment action against Murphy in federal court.<br /><br />In that action, in which Murphy filed a counterclaim, Mutual Insurance ultimately moved for summary judgment seeking a declaration that it had no liability to Murphy under the pertinent insurance and consumer protection laws, and also seeking a dismissal of Murphy's counterclaim. <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://pacer.mad.uscourts.gov/dc/cgi-bin/recentops.pl?filename=saris/pdf/mutual%20life%20v%20ernest%20murphy.pdf">Saris's July 1 decision</a> did both.<br /><br />In reaching her decision, Saris concluded that "because Mutual did not exercise exclusive control over the defense or settlement of the claim and the Herald never agreed to settle, Mutual did not have a duty to “effectuate prompt, fair, and equitable settlement” under Massachusetts law."<br /><br />In the aftermath of the 2005 jury verdict in the defamation case, Murphy sent two letters on state court stationery to the Herald's publisher demanding a settlement. The letters ultimately resulted in an ethics investigation and reprimand of Murphy, who subsequently left the bench on a disability retirement.<br /><br />Mutual Insurance was represented by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Joseph Sano,</span> a partner in the Boston firm Prince Lobel Glovsky & Tye.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-82763564262449138792009-05-07T14:30:00.004-04:002009-05-07T14:46:03.353-04:00Through a glass, darkly<strong>Walter Pincus</strong>, long-time reporter for <strong><em>The Washington Post</em></strong>, has a thought-provoking essay in the May/June issue of the <strong>Columbia Journalism Review</strong>. The premise of the piece, <em><strong><a href="http://www.cjr.org/essay/newspaper_narcissism_1.php">Newspaper Narcissism</a></strong></em>, which is available online, is that the problems facing newspapers today are in part the result of a pursuit of glory that led papers away from readers. <br /><br />If you are a student or fan of journalism, or just a reader who cares about the daily local <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">newspaper</span> as an endangered species (a sensitive topic these days here in Boston), you should read the piece.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-31186072936970561732009-05-06T21:01:00.006-04:002011-02-15T09:33:04.384-05:00The $550,0000 blinkLast summer the <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Third Circuit U. S. Court of Appeals</span> vacated the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">FCC's</span> $550,000 fine <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">against</span> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">CBS </span>for the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">halftime</span> show, finding that the FCC had acted arbitrarily and capriciously.<br /><br />The FCC petitioned for review, and this week, fast in the tracks of last week's "fleeting expletive" ruling, the <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Supreme Court</span> vacated that judgment and remanded the case back to the Third Circuit for further consideration in light of <a href="http://ofandconcerning.blogspot.com/2009/05/say-what.html"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">FCC v. Fox </span>decision</a>.<br /><br />A $550,000 fine? For this?<br /><br /><object height="285" width="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MiSUDwgmjQg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MiSUDwgmjQg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /><br />You be the judge.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13670456.post-4074767907573611012009-05-04T14:59:00.003-04:002009-05-04T15:26:35.384-04:00Say what ... ?Last week in<a href="http://www4.law.cornell.edu/supct/pdf/07-582P.ZO"> </a><a href="http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/08pdf/07-582.pdf"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">FCC v. Fox and NBC</span></a>, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">U. S. Supreme Court</span> overturned by a vote of 5-4 a decision by the U. S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and upheld the FCC's "fleeting use" policy regarding vulgar expletives. Under that policy, the FCC sanctions broadcast television networks for the the single expression of an expletive during live prime-time television. The Court, answering only the narrow administrative law question before it, held that the policy was not arbitrary and capricious.<br /><br />The Second Circuit had held that the policy, which has been in place since 2004, was unreasonable under administrative law standards.<br /><br />The Court declined to address the issue of whether the policy violates the First Amendment, since it was not definitively addressed below.<br /><br />In a lengthy dissent, Justice Breyer stated that the FCC had failed adequately to explain why it changed from its prior policy of not sanctioning a single, fleeting use of an expletive, and concluded that the FCC's decision was arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion.<br /><br />Justice Breyer was joined in his dissent by Justices Stevens and Ginsburg--each of whom also authored a separate dissent--and Justice Souter.Michael Pezza Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17032768871548700857noreply@blogger.com0