Court Affirms Love's Win in "Twibel" Case

A California appeals court has affirmed singer Courtney Love's victory in a libel case brought by her former attorney over tweets sent by the singer.

Appeals Court Considers Love's Win in Twibel Case

On Dec. 14 the California Court of Appeals, Second District, heard an appeal by attorney Rhonda J. Holmes of her loss in a jury trial in January 2014 to singer Courtney Love over comments posted to Twitter.

Twibel Goes Down Under

On the heels of the first libel trial stemming from Twitter in the United States, there are reports that Australia had its own first "twibel" trial in November.

Libel and Social Media: Yet Another Love Story

I may be running out of puns on the name of Courtney Love, but her odyssey as a pioneer as a defendant in libel suits based on social media continues.

Lawyers in the Vortex: When Attorneys Become Public Figures

 cross posted at the Digital Media Law Project
 There was substantial media coverage of the defense verdict in the recent "twibel" (i.e., libel via Twitter) case against singer Courtney Love. Although the case attracted attention for the medium in which the allegedly defamatory statements were made, the dispositive issue was a long-standing element of libel law that did not depend on Love's use of Twitter.  Specifically, the jury found that plaintiff Rhonda Holmes, a lawyer who briefly represented Love in disputes stemming from the estate of Love's husband Kurt Cobain, had not proved the degree of fault on Love's part necessary for Holmes to win the case.

In the End, Love Wins

A jury found Friday that singer Courtney Love did not libel her former attorney when she sent a tweet stating, ""I was fucking devestated when Rhonda J. Holmes esq. of san diego was purchased off ..."

First U.S. Twitter Libel Trial Begins

Attorney Rhonda J. Holmes' libel lawsuit against singer Courtney Love began yesterday (Jan. 15) in California Superior Court in Los Angeles.  It is the first defamation trial in an American court based on statements posted on Twitter.

2014 May Start with Twitter Trial

We've been fooled before. Unless there's a settlement within the next three weeks, the new year will begin with a trial in the "twibel" case brought by a former attorney for Courtney Love over a tweet sent by the singer.

Picture This: Libel by Pinterest?

Two years ago, it looked like a lawsuit brought against singer Courtney Love by fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir would be the first libel trial over comments posted on Twitter. Although that lawsuit was settled, shortly thereafter Love was named as the defendant in a lawsuit brought by her former attorney for comments that Love posted on Twitter herself: a suit that is still pending.

Love continues to break ground in libel law involving social media: earlier this month, she was sued for libel over postings on Pinterest, in addition to comments on the Howard Stern Show. Once again, the plaintiff is Dawn Simorangkir, who claims that Love accused Simorangkir of stealing from her.

British Ruling Sets Standards for Twitter Libel

(cross posted at the Digital Media Law Project)
A British judge's decision that a tweet by Sally Bercow (wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow) libeled Lord Robert Alistair McAlpine (former Deputy Chairman and Party Treasurer of the Conservative Party and an aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher) shows -- if anyone still had doubts -- that tweets can indeed be libelous. In doing so, the ruling provides a good model for analyzing Twitter posts to determine whether they are defamatory.

Love's Twitter Suit Lives On

The lawsuit against Courtney Live by the law firm that represented her in estate of her husband Kurt Cobain over tweets the singer sent about her lawyer is continuing.

No Libel in 140 Characters?

For a while now, I've been on the look-out for the first American defamation trial stemming from Twitter. And while some cases have been contenders, there hasn't been such a case that's gone to trial yet.

But now, an article in the new Berkeley Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law by attorney William L. Charron questions whether tweets can be the basis for a defamation claim at all.

Another Chance for Love

According to the Hollywood Reporter, a California Superior Court judge indicated Thursday that she was likely to allow a libel lawsuit against singer Courtney Love based on tweets about her then-lawyers to proceed.

When and if the case actually goes to trial, it would be the first American libel lawsuit stemming from a Twitter post.

Another Settlement, As the "Twibel" Watch Continues

Our wait for the first American "twibel" trial -- a defamation trial stemming from comments post on Twitter -- continues, and another settlement has struck out another contender.

Radio Daze

I was interviewed this morning on Oregon Public Broadcasting about defamation online as part of a segment on an Oregon doctor who sued a woman who blogged and tweeted about a 2001 disciplinary incident against the doctor.  (The case was settled last week.)

The segment is available here.

A New Contender in Oregon

For a while I've been tracking a number of defamation cases stemming from posts on Twitter -- including several involving singer Courtney Love -- to see which would be the first Twitter libel case to go to trial in an American court. Now a new contender -- a case from Oregon -- has emerged as a possible contender.

A Second Chance for Love

Back in January, it looked like a defamation lawsuit brought by fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir against singer Courtney Love over her tweets would be the first libel trial in the U.S. stemming from Twitter. But then the parties settled for $430,000 plus interest.

More Cases, But No Twitter Trials

As Twitter becomes more ubiquitous -- it now has more than 200 million registered users, and 155 million tweets are sent each day -- defamation, privacy and other lawsuits stemming from tweets are becoming more common.

Love in a Battlefield

Just a few months after settling a lawsuit over comments she tweeted about fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir, singer Courtney Love have been sued over another statement Twitter, as well as a comment to the New York Post. 

Another Twibel Contender

As I noted yesterday, we're still waiting for the first defamation trial in an American court stemming from Twitter -- what the British apparently think us Yanks call "twible."