1st Amendment and Free Speech/deformation & liabale

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Expert: - 10/6/2009


Question
I wrote something on a message board on yahoo. basically saying the company is run by a bunch of moorons.Much of what i wrote was facts but i did say the ceo's are probably hiring hookers at the annual meeting.I also said the stock price will tank which it did. I'm presently being sued in civil court by this corporation for liable and deformation.Do these people have a leg to stand on

Answer
Hi Ron,

Please keep in mind that I cannot provide specific legal advice in this forum.  For that, you would need to consult an attorney licensed in your State.

I will say that generally, if you make false and defamatory statements of fact, such as accusing a person of hiring hookers and that is not true, you could be subject to a defamation suit.  Of course, if the context of the accusation made it clear that you were just joking or that you had no basis for what your were saying, that could be a defense.

If you are being sued of this, I recommend you take this seriously and get an attorney.

- Mike  

1st Amendment and Free Speech

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Michael Troy

Expertise

I will answer general questions regarding freedom of speech, petition, or religion. I specialize in cases involving public employment or education, as well as issues related to campaign finance. But I can`t give specific legal advice involving specific cases you might have.

Experience

As an attorney for the Center for Individual Rights, I worked on a number of free speech cases, including Rosenberger v. Univ. of Virginia, in which the Supreme Court upheld my clients' right to run a student newspaper without discrimination because of its religious conent. I also worked on White v. Julian, which protected the right of people to protest against a homeless shelter in their neighborhood.

I also worked for the Federal Election Commission on several cases regarding the right to participate in the election process.

Organizations
Former Attorney for Center for Individual Rights.

Publications
Washington Post
Washington Times

Education/Credentials
J.D. from Univ. of Michigan Law School

Awards and Honors
Truman Scholar

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