Singer Courtney Love is being sued for logging into her now-disabled Twitter account and allegedly posting some unflattering comments about fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir, and now faces legal proceedings to determine whether or not she should be ordered to pay for damaging the designer’s reputation.
According to CNN.com, the suit maintains that Love said, among other things, that the fashion designer had “a history of dealing cocaine.”
Guilt or innocence aside, if the idea of tweets being used in legal proceedings sounds strange to you, there’s a good reason. A few years ago, they wouldn’t have, and not just because of the relative newness of Twitter. Internet free speech and libel laws are still in the early stages, and what constitutes “free speech” (always a controversial issue) becomes even more hard to define when applied to statements made online.
As the Internet continues to evolve and expand, suits like this one are becoming more commonplace, and legal experts are struggling to set precedences and procedures for cases that originate online.
A motion put forward by Love last month to have the case thrown out by the Los Angeles Superior Court was dismissed, and it is likely that Love will appeal.
What are your thoughts on the internet and free speech?
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