Reports show that in the first major commercial internet defamation case tried to jury verdict in Texas a $12.5 Million judgment has been returned. The defendants had launched a website critical of the plaintiff, ORIX Capital Markets, at the "Predatorix" domain name. Signficantly, the suit included allegations of conspiracy to defame, a basis for recovering that Dozier Internet Law has been supporting as a viable basis for extending liability to all involved in a mobosphere attack. All defendant participants involved are potentially liable under this theory even if the individuals themselves did not publish the defamatory comments.
The case was tried for two weeks before a jury, and the judgment was for $2.5 Million in compensatory damages and $10 Million in punitive damages. Needless to say, ORIX now owns the website.
I wonder where Public Citizen was in this case? This is the second judgment in excess of $10 Million a jury has returned for online defamation against individuals. Public Citizen picks its cases very carefully from the looks of things and likes to publicize little victories that have little significance in the grander scheme of things. You'll hear more about Public Citizen, Paul Levy, and Greg Beck in "Google Bomb", my upcoming book set to hit the shelves in the coming months.
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