Journalist Bloggers Winning Freedom Of Information Court Case Against City Reaffirms Journalist Bloggers Rights
Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Wendell Griffen SUMMARY: The Court of Appeals for the 9th U.S. Circuit has created a precedent in partly reversing a lower court’s judgment in a defamation suit, which held that the bloggers and citizen journalists are at par with the professional journalists. The 9th Circuit further said that the liability for a defamatory blog post involving a matter of public concern cannot be imposed without proof of fault and actual damages. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. OBSIDIAN FINANCE GROUP, LLC; Kevin D. Padrick, Plaintiffs–Appellees, v. Crystal COX, Defendant–Appellant. Obsidian Finance Group, LLC; Kevin D. Padrick, Plaintiffs–Appellants, v. Crystal Cox, Defendant–Appellee. Nos. 12–35238, 12–35319. Decided: January 17, 2014 The Court of Appeals for the 9th U.S. Circuit has created a precedent in partly reversing a lower court’s judgment in a defamation suit. It held that in defamation suits, bloggers and citizen journalists are at par