Finding the Right Solution

Online commenters can do a lot of damage with just a few cutting words, regardless of whether they are true or false. This court case is not just a matter of free speech, it also concerns online defamation and online reputations.

The judge in the original lawsuit ordered the Indianapolis Business Journal and WRTV to identify online commenters, and although both parties disagreed, they complied with the judge’s order.Miller’s attorney, who has filed 19 separate lawsuits, said his client’s reputation has been damaged beyond repair.”He is in another city. I’m not at liberty to say where,” said attorney Kevin Betz. “He is no longer socially or professionally able to live in Indianapolis because of this campaign of smear against him on these websites that provided anonymity to those defamers.”

Websites are not liable for these comments–that is long established law, but whether they should protect those commenters in court is another matter altogether and one that will be interesting to see solved by the courts.