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Fashion designer’s widow files $10 million defamation suit against Vanity Fair

donal brown August 10, 2011

Fashion designer Oleg Cassini’s widow, Marianne Nestor-Cassini,  alleges that Vanity Fair defamed her in a September article and is asking $10 million in damages from Conde Nast Publications. The complaint read that Nestor-Cassini tried to correct the record even before the article was published , “Upon becoming aware of the innuendos being made to plaintiff’s contacts and reporting statements being made that were slanderous, libelous and inaccurate. Marianne personally called the office of Vanity Fair

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Free speech: Online postings change the terrain in defamation cases adding new perils

donal brown August 10, 2011

John Sharkey writing for the Citizen Media Law Project writes a real danger looms as courts deciding defamation cases concerning online postings are asked to issue injunctions restricting speech, a type of prior restraint that could be a substantial threat to the First Amendment. Sharkey says, “Even if we limit injunctive relief strictly to jury verdicts, we have to remember juries’ error rate. With the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard, variations in juries, judges, attorney skill, and basic

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Opinion: Police regulation of crime scenes should not extend to content

donal brown August 9, 2011

The president of the First Amendment Center, Ken Paulson, argues that police should properly regulate the crime scene to prevent the public and reporters from interfering with police work. They run afoul of the First Amendment, though, when they tell photographers what they can shoot. “Under the First Amendment, both the press and public have a right to monitor and speak out about the performance of public officials. New technology has enhanced that watchdog role,

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Washington: Local police seek anonymous creator of cop parody videos

donal brown August 9, 2011

Renton, Washington police are seeking the identity of the creator of some videos critical of their department in what they describe as a cyberstalking investigation. Police are asking Google to reveal the name of the creator using the pseudonym “Mrfuddlesticks.” The videos contain profanity and sexual content and name members of the department. The affadavit for a search warrant says, “Three individuals have came [sic] forward and have identified themselves as being persons targeted by

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Miami Beach revises policy on photos of on-duty police

donal brown August 9, 2011

The Miami Beach Police Department is allowing citizens and media on public grounds to take pictures or video images of police officers doing their jobs. According to Emily Peterson reporting for The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, “It [the new policy] says civilians may record or photograph a police employee’s activities as long as they remain at a reasonable distance, don’t interfere with the employee’s duties and responsibilities, and do not create a

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