Bloggers have long been known for a fairly raw form of discussion. Now a defamation suit may serve as a warning to all bloggers that they are equally vulnerable to lawsuit. A Los Angeles court has cleared the way for discovery in a deposition lawsuit by a friend of Lindsay Lohan, who was accused by a blogger of planting cocaine found in Lohan’s car and setting her up to be photographed under the influence. Samantha Ronson suing Perez Hilton (whose real name is Mario Lavandeira) for a story that appeared on the website celebritybabylon.com.
Ronson is also suing Jill Ishkanian, whose Sunset Photo and News Agency operates CelebrityBabylon.com. It appears however that Ishkanian may have settled.
The first question is whether Ronson is a public figure. It is possible for a friend of a celebrity to become a public figure, which moves them under the higher standard of actual malice. Under that standard, she would have to prove that the blogger acted with knowledge of the falsity or reckless disregard of whether it was true or not. Many bloggers labor under the assumption that they are not subject to such liability. However, a blog is a publication and can be the subject of defamation. For the full story, click here