Tag Archives: defamation suit

Clearing Up the Defamation Rumors

Posted on by January 18, 2013

There has been a lot of false information being disseminated regarding the dismissal of the defamation suit filed against myself and 25 unnamed John Doe Defendants and I wanted to take a moment to clear up some of those rumors. First and foremost, there was no settlement in terms of agreements not to discuss the case or even stop talking about Cody Saltsman. On or about December 20, the Plaintiffs approached us wishing to dismiss the defamation claim WITH PREJUDICE. They asked if Cody could post a statement on my blog, and I was glad to allow him to do so. I did not HAVE to do anything, nor was I forced to post anything about the case in return for a dismissal. I chose to provide a statement because many people were following the case and wanted to know what was going on. I was not forced to stop … Continue reading →

Case Dismissed!

Posted on by December 27, 2012

On behalf of myself and the John Doe defendants, we are very pleased to announce that the defamation lawsuit filed against us has been dismissed with prejudice. Dismissals with prejudice mean that this case can never be refiled again and this lawsuit is officially over. On December 20th, the plaintiffs approached us about settling this case, and we were quite happy to oblige. Lawsuits are costly and very stressful, and this suit has taken a toll on all involved. As part of the settlement we did not pay any money; we did not agree to retract any statements, nor did we agree to stop covering the case or discussing it. Cody Saltsman has asked to make a statement here to express his remorse for the photo and comments that he tweeted. It is also his desire and ours to clarify that we never had any evidence of his direct involvement … Continue reading →

ACLU of Ohio Offers to Represent Anonymous Defendants

Posted on by December 14, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12.14.12 ACLU of Ohio Offers to Represent Anonymous Defendants in Jefferson County Defamation Case Defendants Have a First Amendment Right to Anonymous Online Speech and Should be Protected from a CyberSLAPP Lawsuit STEUBENVILLE, OH – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio announced that it has offered to represent a number of “John Doe” defendants in a defamation lawsuit and subpoena request currently pending in the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas. “We believe the real goal of this lawsuit is to discover the identity of anonymous online commenters so that they, and future commenters will be intimidated and discouraged from voicing their opinions,” said ACLU Volunteer Attorney Scott Greenwood. “This is just an updated form of a classic Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) which is typically used to silence speech that is protected under the First Amendment.” The case in question, Cody Saltsman v. … Continue reading →