If you’re one of the millions who think you can say what you want on the Internet without fear of retribution, think of again. Former National Hockey League executive Brian Burke is suing 18 anonymous Internet posters for libel. The false statement in question is that Burke had an affair with Sportsnet anchor Hazel Mae and fathered her child. Now Canada does have a history of forcing online discussion boards and ISPs to hand over info that allows someone like Burke to identify who these posters are. But one of them has already tipped his or her hand. A poster that goes by the Twitter handle of @THEzbrad posted this on his Twitter feed:
Brian Burke is suing me. I think he’s just angry that “his” Toronto team finally made the playoffs. Sorry Burkey
He also has a blog where he made a post dismissing the lawsuit. Both of these may be the wrong courses of action. I’d be lawyering up if I were this person. Besides the fact that Brian Burke is a lawyer who is perfectly able to defend himself, Burke has deep pockets. Someone who describes himself as a “Carleton University Journalism Student” and “Ottawa’s Teflon Don” and “Finest thing to leave Oshawa since Lindros” (As in former hockey star Eric Lindros) has no chance against that. He might do better to circle the wagons from a legal standpoint. The other 17 might wish to do the same.
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This entry was posted on April 28, 2013 at 8:35 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Lawsuit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Brian Burke Sues Online Unknown Online Posters For Libel
If you’re one of the millions who think you can say what you want on the Internet without fear of retribution, think of again. Former National Hockey League executive Brian Burke is suing 18 anonymous Internet posters for libel. The false statement in question is that Burke had an affair with Sportsnet anchor Hazel Mae and fathered her child. Now Canada does have a history of forcing online discussion boards and ISPs to hand over info that allows someone like Burke to identify who these posters are. But one of them has already tipped his or her hand. A poster that goes by the Twitter handle of @THEzbrad posted this on his Twitter feed:
Brian Burke is suing me. I think he’s just angry that “his” Toronto team finally made the playoffs. Sorry Burkey
He also has a blog where he made a post dismissing the lawsuit. Both of these may be the wrong courses of action. I’d be lawyering up if I were this person. Besides the fact that Brian Burke is a lawyer who is perfectly able to defend himself, Burke has deep pockets. Someone who describes himself as a “Carleton University Journalism Student” and “Ottawa’s Teflon Don” and “Finest thing to leave Oshawa since Lindros” (As in former hockey star Eric Lindros) has no chance against that. He might do better to circle the wagons from a legal standpoint. The other 17 might wish to do the same.
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This entry was posted on April 28, 2013 at 8:35 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Lawsuit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.