http://news.yahoo.com/lawyer-ordered-pay-4-5m-gay-u-m-222810693.html
QuoteA jury on Thursday awarded a gay University of Michigan student body president $4.5 million in his lawsuit against a former Michigan assistant attorney general who posted about him in an anti-gay blog.
The U.S. District Court jury ruled in favor of Christopher Armstrong, who claimed he suffered distress after a blog created by Andrew Shirvell accused him of enticing minors with alcohol and recruiting people to become homosexual.
"I'm just incredibly humbled by what happened today," Armstrong told The Associated Press. "This is truly a victory — not just for myself, but for a lot of other kids out there."
Shirvell, who was representing himself, said the jury award was "grossly excessive" for what was "clearly protected speech ... and activity."
"This should have been thrown out," he said, adding that he plans to appeal. "Juries give short shrift to First Amendment rights."
Armstrong accused Shirvell of defamation as well as emotional distress for his actions on the blog, in Facebook posts and during visits to the Ann Arbor campus.
Then-Attorney General Mike Cox fired Shirvell in 2010 after he criticized Armstrong, who graduated last year.
Shirvell has said he viewed his blog "as a movement to get" Armstrong to resign. Shirvell argued he was acting within his First Amendment rights and that his statements were either true or protected because of Armstrong's role as a public figure.
Armstrong's attorney, Deborah Gordon, had said she would drop the lawsuit if Shirvell apologized and retracted his comments. Shirvell said that was disingenuous, since it wasn't until closing arguments that a multimillion-dollar award was brought up.
Shirvell said he's unemployed and "there's no way I could possibly ever pay such a judgment."
Gordon said the jury couldn't make him apologize, so the money was the only answer.
"We needed him to retract the flat-out fabrications he had come up with about Chris," she said. "Once he refused to take responsibility, we put it in the hands of the jury."
Odd and pretty terrible.
The guy could've saved a lot of money if he visited a psychiatrist. Penny wise, pound foolish.
Juries are inferior to humans. Film at 11.
Amusingly, we talked about this guy (Shirvell) and his obsession with Armstrong at some point in the past. Shirvell was on some news show and came off as more than a little closeted, it seemed to me.
Quote from: Habbaku on August 17, 2012, 11:33:05 AM
Shirvell was on some news show and came off as more than a little closeted, it seemed to me.
Oh without a doubt.
I'm kind of amused by the idea that the being the student body president makes the guy a public figure.
That standard should probably logically apply to an article in a student newspaper criticizing him, but not to statements disseminated more generally--such as by posting them on the internet.
So if calling a gay student gay is worth 4.5 million, how much is it worth calling a dead heterosexual Finnish general gay? :hmm:
I don't think the issue was that he called him gay, but good question.
Based on this, I want to start up a gay black kids group and then find some person to publicly trash me on their blog.
Quote from: garbon on August 17, 2012, 02:01:39 PM
Based on this, I want to start up a gay black kids group and then find some person to publicly trash me on their blog.
too many people in that group, you might not be the one choosen for stalking. Start a gay black republican group, that way there's you and like two other guys tops :P
Well obviously that is libel (or is it slander?) but 4.5 Million is...well...
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 17, 2012, 01:47:08 PM
So if calling a gay student gay is worth 4.5 million, how much is it worth calling a dead heterosexual Finnish general gay? :hmm:
Um I thought it was the fact he was accusing him of commiting a crime. You know offering booze to minors in order to make them teh gay.
(https://p.twimg.com/A0hHUD2CMAAa8ik.jpg)
I will gladly trash Garbon in public. :)
:huh: I'm afraid of gays.
I'm very uncomfortable around homo sapiens.
Few homos are sapient. :)
Quote from: katmai on August 17, 2012, 03:27:20 PM
I will gladly trash Garbon in public. :)
Better get your millions ready.
This was just as stupid when we burned people for saying God does not exist.
Quote from: garbon on August 17, 2012, 04:01:06 PM
Quote from: katmai on August 17, 2012, 03:27:20 PM
I will gladly trash Garbon in public. :)
Better get your millions ready.
I thought I was one getting paid. :(
Quote from: Valmy on August 17, 2012, 02:26:15 PM
Well obviously that is libel (or is it slander?) but 4.5 Million is...well...
$4.5 million? Insult me next, please! :lol:
I can't believe that quantum would survive appeal, though.
Quote from: garbon on August 17, 2012, 02:48:16 PM
(https://p.twimg.com/A0hHUD2CMAAa8ik.jpg)
Morg
on Freeman? :hmm:
His real name was probably already taken.
Quote from: Martinus on August 17, 2012, 05:13:14 PM
This was just as stupid when we burned people for saying God does not exist.
When were you doing that?