Defamed man to sue website over cheat 'slur'
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Ted Hollis, a criminal attorney from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is suing the creator of a website which allows women to complain about men they have dated after being named by two women on the self-proclaimed controversial site.
The website, DontDateHimGirl.com, allows women to use a search engine to find alleged deceivers. It calls itself "a powerful online resource that lets women out the men who have cheated on or lied to them". As well as featuring a discussion board that enables women to criticise partners, the website also includes the names, details, and photographs of so-called cheats. Men can respond to postings, but they can't get them erased.
According to Hollis, two local women claimed the man was, among other things, two-timing. Mr Hollis added that he is blameless, and that the website should check the reliability of the information it contains.
Tasha Joseph, the creator of DontDateHimGirl.com, notes that this is the first lawsuit filed against her website. She claims that she cannot be held responsible for the comments of others. This is due to her status as a provider, as opposed to a publisher or a writer, under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Sources
- Justin Webb. US website sued over cheat 'slur' — BBC News Online, July 1, 2006
- 'Dontdatehimgirl' sued by Pittsburgh lawyer — USA Today, June 30, 2006
- Associated Press. Man Sues Over Web Site Comments — ABC News, June 30, 2006
- Communications Decency Act — Wikipedia, June 14, 2006
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