Posted on 06/30/2006 2:46:38 PM PDT by familyop
MIAMI, June 30 (UPI) -- A lawyer has sued a Florida-based Web site claiming he was defamed on Don'tDateHimGirl.com.
The site allows women to vent about ex-boyfriends and spouses and, presumably, to warn others about their exes' nasty habits. But Todd Hollis of Pittsburgh says his former girlfriend published false and malicious information about his health and sexual habits.
"When you have to explain to someone that you don't have herpes or that you are not a dog or that these accusations are malicious and false it really bothers you," Hollis told the Miami Herald. "You feel awkward when you are walking up and down the street. You don't know whether the whole world knows about it, or if someone is looking at you in a different light because of it."
Tasha Joseph, who founded the site, argues that she is protected by the Communication Decency Act, the newspaper said.
"Internet service providers such as myself aren't responsible for the third party postings of our users, because it's not me defaming Todd Harris, but the woman accusing him of cheating on them," Joseph said.
Okay. I'll leave it alone.
I do NOT like tofu!
"When you have to explain to someone that you don't have herpes or that you are not a dog or that these accusations are malicious and false it really bothers you," Hollis told the Miami Herald.
**
Hollis, I feel sorry for you, but here's a tip. Don't date the sort of woman thinks the Internet is a good place to get to know you.
I have three sisters. If I were to do such a vile thing to Mr.X, my sisters would back me up 100%, even though it would be lies. It's not right, but that's family for you.
I don't care what this man does, and I don't care about the girlfriend's allegations. This entire idea is just so wrong.
BTW, I am a woman who has been divorced twice. That is why I can say with a certain degree of credibility that this is one of the most unethical and vicious things I've ever heard of...AND maybe this man and woman weren't meant to be, but that DOES NOT give her the right to destroy his credibility.
Has anyone ever posted on the World Wide Web that you have herpes?
If you start with a false premise, you will end up with a false conclusion. The local website apparently did not "say" anything - rather, one or more of his ex-girlfriends did the "saying", and the website is very likely protected under US law. If the "sayings" were defamatory, his recourse is to sue the person(s) who did the defaming, which is not the website.
Thanks, I think the website is confusing IP service immunity with "service".
How is he going to get back his name?
How is anyone going to fight against a blackmailer?
There is a point where negligence becomes culpable. Having an unfiltered website designed to damage social standing and career damage is liability suicide.
I know I could NEVER hire this lawyer as a local counsel because of her statements. The clients would never stand for it.
Well since you can't cure herpes that part can be proven. If he test negative for herpes now then he didn't have herpes then so that makes her a liar and makes what she wrote defamation.
Really the whole thing is pretty screwed up and makes me glad I'm married and don't have to worry about the modern dating world, as lame as it was 16 years ago it seems to have gotten much worse.
Imagine if this was "dontdateher.com" and he was calling his former date an STD infected, bitch, who was little more than a gold digging prostitute?
The women would be going nuts over him calling her that no matter how true it was.
Look at what hollyweird is pushing as the next comedy "the exgirlfried is a superhero" with her doing the PMS breakup attacks.
Not only do I hope he wins and sends a message, I hope the judge imposes PUNATIVE damages and PERSONAL liability upon the founders and ex girlfriend.
not quite, this is a time place and manner question.
The website is INTENDED as a revenge site. It is not a forum for ideas, it is a platform by DESIGN to do damage.
There are pleanty of legal examples under old media where this websites liability is inevitable in the strict legal sense of the word.
Disclaimers will not protect them from their negligence. The founders better start praying they don't get hit with punatives because the judge may want to make an example in the New Media era.
Well the part about herpes was probably a lie on her part because she was so pissed off about all of the cheating. She may be able to weasel out of it by saying she thought she got herpes because she found bumps or something.
You're right she could get in trouble on the herpes thing, if it isn't true.
nobody is raising girls to be women, feminsts are raising girls to be petulant brats.
You need the proper header:
Hot liberal Democrat "fella" seeks meaningful, (or meaningless, it doesn't matter) relationship
Yup. I hunted around and couldn't find any info that he's suing the ex, which has to make you wonder if this isn't more about money than anything else. I did see that that website has a sister site where women can post about guys they've dated who are wonderful.
I'm not a big fan of using the courts for stuff like this. If I was, I would've sued the a-hole who spread all those vicious rumors about me after I rejected him back in high school.
Apparently two women have posted that he is bad news. He's a lawyer too. Three strikes.
He won't win this case.
Ah, I see.
I have to admit I would be tempted to post a few tidbits about my ex, if only to serve as a warning to his future ex-wives.
You're assuming there was any cheating. She could just be one of those wierd ones that think everytime her SO is out of her line of sight he's cheating on her. Or maybe she just said it to have something mean to say, I think a lot of the people on that site think of it like a bitchfest and forget that there's actually an audience out there. We've all talked bad about ex's, and much of what we've said was probably a fiction, but that was between us whoever we were talking to, on the web it's totally different.
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