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Man Wins 'Communist' Defamation Lawsuit In Olympia
KIRO ^ | 4/17/09 | AP

Posted on 04/17/2009 10:35:05 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A man who fled Vietnam more than 30 years ago has won a defamation lawsuit in Olympia against five fellow Vietnamese who called him a communist sympathizer in local publications.

The jury awarded the 65-year-old man, Duc Tan, $225,000 on Thursday after a three-week trial.

The Olympian reports that the lawyer for the defendants, Nigel Malden of Tacoma, argued the case is a blow against free speech.

The jury also awarded $85,000 to Tan's organization, the Vietnamese Community of Thurston County.

One expert witness testified that labeling people communist discredits them among Vietnamese who were imprisoned or tortured.

Tan is a former lieutenant in the South Vietnamese Army who fled with his family in a fishing boat.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: communist; labels; lawsuit; wastate
Sticks and stones.....
1 posted on 04/17/2009 10:35:07 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: anniegetyourgun

Maybe I’ll file suit against Janet II for her defamation of me (a veteran) in her DHS report of right wing extremists....


2 posted on 04/17/2009 10:38:39 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: Squantos

Don’t bother....they own the judiciary too.


3 posted on 04/17/2009 10:40:08 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: anniegetyourgun
Speech control. Thought control.

Don't call em commies, folks. They'll sue the hell out of you.

Of course, Obammie the Commie won't sue you, just sic the IRS and DHS on you.

4 posted on 04/17/2009 10:40:09 AM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (The most dangerous fascists are those with a warm smile and soothing voice.)
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To: anniegetyourgun

Yeah ........damn !.....:o)


5 posted on 04/17/2009 10:40:58 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: anniegetyourgun

Tough crap. We’ll continue to call them Commies and a lot worse.


6 posted on 04/17/2009 10:47:54 AM PDT by FTL
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
Speech control. Thought control.

Nah. Libel control, which aint all that bad. Among the Vietnamese guys I know, the epithet 'communist' is at the same level as 'child rapist', maybe even worse. Better not publish it unless it's true.

7 posted on 04/17/2009 10:51:26 AM PDT by Skid Marx
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To: anniegetyourgun

Well...what’s the big deal.? We have a commie in the WH.


8 posted on 04/17/2009 12:01:27 PM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is another agitator for republicanism like Sam Adams when we need him?)
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To: Skid Marx
Did the accuser prove that he is not a commie sympathizer?

Guaranteed that he was.

If one doesn't call another “child rapist” without being pretty damn sure they're right, the same would go for the term they used.

Where's the lawsuit against Murtha and all the other leftists who accused our service men of murder? Crickets. That is why it is thought control, speech control.

9 posted on 04/17/2009 12:30:58 PM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (The most dangerous fascists are those with a warm smile and soothing voice.)
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To: Skid Marx

When they communicate in Vietnamese they seem to have little sense of such things as the possibility of a defamation lawsuit.


10 posted on 04/21/2009 2:05:11 PM PDT by AmericanVictory (Should we be more like them or they more like we used to be?)
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To: Squantos

Michael Savage and another vet already beat you to it...there’s a thread on FR


11 posted on 04/21/2009 2:09:23 PM PDT by DrewsMum (www.williamsfortexas.com)
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To: DrewsMum

Weiner errrr Savage was a veteran ?


12 posted on 04/21/2009 2:49:08 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: Squantos

“Weiner errrr Savage was a veteran ?”

Oh no, I don’t know...I thought you said you were that’s why I said ANOTHER....oooopssyy


13 posted on 04/21/2009 5:52:18 PM PDT by DrewsMum (www.williamsfortexas.com)
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To: DrewsMum

I am.....:o)

Didn’t understand yer post , my bad !

Nite !


14 posted on 04/21/2009 6:01:23 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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