Monday, April 02, 2007

The Law Suit - April 2 2007

Rocky vs NSTP & 4 others.
The lawyers for NSTP & 4 others wanted Rocky to pay costs for wanting to withdraw his application to strike out the defamation suit brought against him. Rocky's lawyer Edmund Bon, however, argued that his client had to withdraw the application as the plaintiffs had amended their "fatally deficient" claims. After an hour in his chamber, learned Judge Hishamuddin Yunus decided in Rocky's favour. No order for costs. Edmund told reporters and bloggers at Denmark House this morning that his client also reserves the right to:
1/make a fresh application to withdraw the suit or
2/ask the plaintiffs to provide for further and better (FNB) particulars to the amended claims.

Rocky has until May 3, 2007 to file his defence. His next date in court is June 28, 2007.
Before that, we'll Walk With Jeff Ooi on Wednesday (April 4) at Wisma Denmark, 9 am.


Is It Worth Suing Bloggers?

Here are two cases of court action involving bloggers. One is about a big-time advertising agency boss in the UK who sued his former colleagues for running an anonymous blog in an attempt to ruin his name and reputation and the other, about a woman suing her ex-employer for compensation after they sacked her for blogging on the job (I had a posting on her earlier).

In the first case, the plaintiff who has been described as one of the world's most powerful men in advertising withdrew his high court action because the publicity that followed was too much for him. Did more harm than he could ever imagine because people began reading the "vicious" blog.
Sir Martin Sorrell accepted a £120,000 settlement without admission of liability in his high court libel and privacy action. Read about his court case here.

Then, there is a case in Paris, of Catherine Sanderson, a Brit who had her day in court. Her ex-employer who was directed to pay her compensation, are appealing against the ruling.
For her, it was a moral victory.

So, will blogs now be self-moderating or will they get wilder and wilder.

Read about Sorrell and Catherine in an article, "Let Sleeping Blogs Lie" on TimesOnline here.

4 comments:

Mr. Smith said...

Civil suits can drag on for years. It is very likely the second, third and fourth plaintiffs may not be in the NST's employ when the suit comes up for hearing in 2010 or so.
If I am not mistaken one guy has already left NST and if there is a change in the UMNO leadership, 'the big one' will be booted out.
Then what happens?
The remaining Plaintiffs will withdraw their suits as they have no reason to persue with the trial.

Anonymous said...

Nuraina, we will fight until the very end in the cause of justice. Nothing will faze us. In the end, justice will prevail. We must keep up the momentum in the struggle against injustice, lies. hypocrisy, plagiarism, racism. I will continue the Churchillian struggle. Rocky, don't give up. The people are behind you. There is no turning back.

Anonymous said...

Hope the Bloggers Alliance that will be set up as a formal and legal entity of bloggers, will be an organization that will ensure ethics and code of conduct and protect from ruthless legal suits, like what Rocky and Jeff Ooi facing now.

Nora aka Anon Fm Miri said...

Tks for the update sis