Courtney Love at the centre of the first Twitter libel costs.
Courtney Love has had to hand over $430,00 in libel costs to a fashion designer, after a number of defamatory tweets in 2009.
Dawn Simorangkir sued Courtney Love after she sent a number of tweets accusing her of being a thief and a criminal. The pair had previously discussed some custom clothing, but the working relationship quickly declined. Courtney then took to her old Twitter account to make several comments about Dawn, which she claimed were simply reflective of her opinion. Dawn disagreed, and claimed that her position in the entertainment industry made her a person of influence and power. Particularly as, as Dawn claims, the comments were false.
In the end, Courtney Love avoided court by paying a settlement fee.
The case is a particularly interesting one, as it impacts hugely on how careful celebs (and indeed influential tweeters) need to be with what they say. The UK takes a firmer stance on this than the USA, who stand firmly by the concept of freedom of speech. Therefore, many cases are bought to these shores by those prosecuting.
Social media might be a place to share information, links and contacts, but perhaps this ruling means we’ll all have to put a little more thought into what we share.
Source: Daily Mail
What do you think about the ruling? Big Brother or a reputation saver?
