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Florida Jury Condemns Defamatory Blog with $11.3 Million Damages Award
A Florida jury has awarded $11.3 million in damages over allegedly defamatory statements posted on a website by an unrepresented and undefended Louisiana woman. The plaintiff obtained a default judgment after the defendant failed to file a defence in respect of allegations that she had defamed the plaintiff, who operates a referral service for parents, on an Internet message board for parents with children in boarding schools for troubled teens.
The jury awarded the damages despite the fact that no specific amount was sought for harm done to the plaintiff’s business. The plaintiff has claimed that she pursued the lawsuit without any expectation of recovery, but rather to send a message that Internet defamation can destroy a person’s reputation.
The lawsuit arose after the defendant posted online a description of the plaintiff as a “crook”, “con artist” and “fraud”. The defendant has since stated in the media that if the plaintiff’s goal was simply to stifle what the defendant says online, then she achieved her goal.
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