Heh. This is kind of interesting story:
A Vogue cover girl is suing Google in an attempt to unmask the blogger who trashed her as a “skank” and an “old hag.”
Liskula Cohen, a blond beauty who has modeled for Giorgio Armani and Versace, made headlines last year when a doorman at a Manhattan hot spot was jailed after smashing her in the face with a vodka bottle.
Now she wants to force Google to reveal who slammed her online as the “#1 skanky superstar” on a blog hosted by the search engine’s subsidiary.
“It’s petty, it’s stupid and it’s pathetic,” Cohen said of the sniping. “And when I do find out who did this, at least I’ll know who my enemies are.”
The defamation suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, seeks a court order compelling Google and its Blogger.com service to identify whoever led the vicious Internet assault against Cohen.
Her lawyer Steven Wagner conceded it’s not easy to identify bloggers who lob insults anonymously, as New York courts have generally declined to force them into the light.
“We think we have a case,” he said. “This is libelous, it’s defamatory and you shouldn’t just get away with this.”
On the site, Cohen is ridiculed as a desperate “fortysomething” who “may have been hot 10 years ago.”
The Canadian cutie is actually 36, according to records.
“Desperation seeps from her soul, if she even has one,” the site spews.
The stinging posts have been met on the blog with fiery comments in Cohen’s defense from someone identified only as “liveandlove.”
“Are you one of those little dumpy girls who hang off her every word?” liveandlove wrote. “Or do you wait three hours in line at a club, when she breezes right in?” Cohen’s mystery defender also theorized that the mean posts were the work of a “silly, silly fat girl.”
What do you guys think?
Should bloggers be required by law to “unmask” themselves before hurling insults? (My full name, by the way, is in the sidebar of this website, and has been for quite a few years now.)
By the way, this Cohen chick is 36 years old. You’d think she’d have outgrown this sort of nonsense by now.
So the issue is writing anonymously? Ridic…she’ll never win.
Being 36 and a willing participant in the entertainment/fashion industry, Ms. Cohen needs to put on her big girl panties and accept that people will make derogatory comments about her.
Furthermore, suggesting that bloggers should “reveal” themselves is asinine. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there an amendment protecting free speech? I mean, really.
omg how horrible. i say if you’re going to talk that kinda shmack, then at least grow a pair and step up.
on the other hand, she could grow a pair too and just not give an F.
hey, how bout that!?
She looks like she might already have a pair.
Watch out! That kinda talk will get your ass model sued.
lol
Most bloggers are hideously fat and ugly with low self esteem. They use their blogs to lash out at others in a desperate attempt to fill the superfluous void of emptyness that exists within their own miserable lives.
It’s actually quite sad…
HEY, a quarter……..sweet!
Speaking from personal experience TSS? Just kidding. Don’t sue me!
Calling her fortysomething when she is actually thirty-six could technically be considered libel on the grounds it isn’t true, but would have to also be proven to be a malicious insult.
Lawsuits charging any type of publication with libel when the topic is a celebrity don’t often stand up if the intent of the statement’s publication is proven to be newsworthiness, not maliciousness.
Actually, the (almost) exact quote was “What is she? Forty Something?”
That renders it a question and not a statement of fact.
There is literally nothing on that blog that could be considered libel because its all opinion and none of that opinion isn’t unreasonable. Who doesn’t think a 36 year old model isn’t “ageing” for her profession and hasn’t been involved in “skankiness” along the way?
AND YET SHE WON!
“Being 36 and a willing participant in the entertainment/fashion industry, Ms. Cohen needs to put on her big girl panties and accept that people will make derogatory comments about her”
I couldn’t agree more. People talk shit about those who appear on reality TV shows and have their 15 minutes of fame and then are never heard of again.
This woman is a professional model, and has appeared on the cover of Vogue, for goodness’ sake. You’d think she’d be able to rise above it.
Actually, the (almost) exact quote was “What is she? Forty Something?”
That renders it a question and not a statement of fact.
There is literally nothing on that blog that could be considered libel because its all opinion and none of that opinion isn’t unreasonable. Who doesn’t think a 36 year old model isn’t “ageing” for her profession and hasn’t been involved in “skankiness” along the way?
AND YET SHE WON!
Oops double posted. Sorry.
I remember a friend in high school threatening all of us with her daddy’s attorney and a libel suit if we didn’t confess who spread a rumor about her.
We were 16.
Seriously, this is sad and ridiculous. And how much do you want to bet that the person that came to her defense on the blog is her?
Oh I am almost 100% positive. It reads like she speaks. And it was just as nasty as anything else on the blog.
Clearly a case of an insecure egomaniac Google-ing herself to see what people think of her.
Google is fighting hard to protect Blogger. Their supposed TOS is not enforced, really, so they get away with allowing people to break the law via Blogger even when placed on notice. Eventually one of these lawsuits will compel Google to enforce its TOS consistently enough to mean something, hell, anything. As of now, sadly, much of the blogosphere (esp Blogger) has become a playground for lawbreakers, including criminal stalkers and harassers, to set up camp with no repercussions. Should I spell check this? nah. It’ll be more fun with typos. I just gotta be me, dammit.
This is ridiculous. If she’s going to be in the spotlight, then she’d better learn to take this kind of shit. She can’t sue someone for thinking she’s ugly and skanky. (In the blogger’s defense, she isn’t exactly wearing the most conservative of tops…) She needs to get out of model world and into reality, where not everyone is going to think you are the best thing since sliced bread.
Jeez.
I didn’t know you could sue people for calling you a skank! If any of the bitches I went to highschool with had wound up with any money I’d jump on this bandwagon. :P
This lawsuit is going nowhere.
hahaha i couldn’t agree more.
I think this is a case of ‘any publicity is good publicity’. And if she wants to sue me for that, then she can go right ahead and take me for the 30 pounds I have in my bank account to last me until the end of January. Maybe if she rolls me for enough I’ll be able to skip out on my student loan repayments.
i think is freaking reDIC for her to WIN this. However, her suing for publicity. fine.
Ok that is just a f*ckin stupid idea.
She obviously spends too much time worrying about how she looks in public, she needs to get over herself.
So what if people talk shit? they do it all the time, when you admit in public that you want to sue someone because they say sh*t makes you look even more stupid.
Is she serious? So many people have been called worse names and they just ignored it becuase they’re celebritites and in the public eye. Shit WILL be talked about you. Jesus christ. Grow up.
In model years, 36 qualifies you as an “old hag.” With the exceptions being those who have other talents, such as Heidi Klum. So that blogger is only speaking the truth.
In my opinion she’s just giving more power to the blogger. He or she might be totally willing to step up and accept the responsibility, especially if it’ll get them attention.
Heidi Klum has talent?
Well she’s smart enough to branch out and do other things, like Project Runway… that qualifies as smart to me. Clever in the least.
Bia is correct. The attorney needs to go back to law school. Has anyone even heard of this woman? She should drop the case and save her last paycheck.
The reason I have a clear photo of me on my thing…whatever that word is….you know, next to what I say (dumb blonde) is so that people can say Im ugly or a troll or have a nice hat as easily as I can say they are too thin or make me want to be a lesbian or just plain suck. I think if you are going to dish the dirt at people you don’t know you should level the playing field. Thats what I like about Beet – she has a photo, she doesnt hide behind web anonymity.
That said, this 36 year old needs to get over herself. I got called ‘sir’ twice at Wendy’s the other day, and I’m not suing anyone, even though it nearly made me cry because I thought I was femalish and I was born a woman.
Hahahaha, that’s funny [being called sir not once, but twice!] from that weeny photo i can say that I don’t think you look like a dude at all, and the short hair is [imo] elfin and super cute.
I feel for this woman, [the model] but she needs to rise above it all. I am sure there is more to this that is being revealed, I think it is possible she may know the mystery blogger and want proof to expose this person and make them suffer.
She is a model, she has had a successful career [being on the cover of vogue is very high achievement in the modelling world and something I would give almost anything for!] She is still working and looks good. This however, is making her seem petty.
Bloggers deserve to be anonymous if they wish. Protect freedom of speech [as long as nothing libel or seriously threatening is in sighted from the speech, such as religious hatred] I do not want a policed internet like there is in C h ina.
Thank you for recognising i am female – hair is actually shoulderlength i just tuck it up in hats cos im too lazy to brush. And let me tell you the beyotch who called me ‘sir’ twice was no pin up herself.
i agree about the overly policed internet being a bad idea – I dont think that you should HAVE to be open about who you are, just that i think that comments have more weight if you can see the person who made them. same as talking behind people’s back really – if you have something to say say it face to face even if it means getting shot down in an argument or punched in the head. “Speak your mind and learn to duck”.
“#1 skanky superstar” ?
What an honour.
That is huge elevation… “superstar”
To answer the question – YES. Bloggers, or commentators of any kind, making statements to the public must NOT have anonymity.
Constitutional right to free speech does not include anonymity.
If you have something to say you must be responsible for your words.
Yeah, sure thing “Mike”. I’m sure you’ve never posted anything negative about anybody.
In many ways, a blog is little more than an extension of a blogger’s parents’ basement. Sure, anybody “could” see it, but the reality is that almost nobody will. A blog is of no more value than water-cooler gossip.
In fact, remaining anonymous actually reduces the “damaging” impact of any comment. The damaging force of a comment is directly proportional to the commenter’s reputation and the size of the audience. Ie BBC News saying something has millions of times the impact of a nameless blogger whose website was read by about 10 people.
Besides, what’s so unreasonable about assuming a 36 year old model is an “ageing skank” anyway? It’s like saying a “lying politician” or a “sleazy lawyer”.
To borrow a classic Free Speech limitation argument, this is like whispering “I smell smoke” in the parking lot of an empty movie theatre.
She is ugly xD
What is he …oh !I mean she…going to do when she finds out who called her an old hag?
Have a word fight with the the person ?
Bitch , cry me a river !
I’ve been verbally abused by my “mom” for the past 16 years of my 16 years of life .
I can’t count how many times she’s told me to stand in the middle of the road and get hit by a Semi .
Do what normal grown up (key word) people do when someone pisses them off Via internet …masturbate !
and Get over it …
Be oh oh aych oh oh bitch !
I also second what TSS says . Oh, and has he-she ever heard of Freedom Of Speech ? Or have the Hormones got to her head?
lol. Bitch needs to get over it. I dont know who she is, (or who she thinks she is that she can go above the constitution just because someone called her old…)
if she wants to talk to me she can click on my name, which is linked to my blog, which links to my email, facebook, myspace, etc etc.
‘
”/’
this bitch is skanky, ho baggie and stoopid.
Didn’t know venturing an opinion is libel. So, by her standards, my saying that she’s 2 years younger then me but looks 10 years older is libel. Hmmm, I thought it was just being catty.
I actually checked out the blog after I read about it somewhere yesterday. It is pretty hurtful. I agree with the other comments that the model needs to get it together and get over this, but as much as that can be said, shouldn’t the Anonymous blogger ALSO get over it?? I mean, if you check out the stuff this person writes, its gotta be something like, the model stole her man or something like that. Its the models own fault for taking such suggestive pictures with friends, but hey, haven’t we all done something stupid like that?? But at 36 (and I would assume the blogger is somewhere around the same age…) isn’t it time to be the bigger person and trash someone the old fashioned way…. by using word of mouth? LOL :P
Based on the picture above, she needs to be harassed simply because of the necklace she’s wearing.
oh that necklace IS ugly!
This man obviously needs to sue and get money for hormone therapy
Well, I was raised, when you do not have anything good to say about someone, do not say it. Simple and to the point. While I find the potential legal action a bit much, so were the comments about this woman. To the less than instictually mentally stable author of the comment, did you speak of yourself in that original comment? Often the net, much akin to National Enquirer, does not look for fact, only spreads fiction and does unknown harm.
Update 8/19/09, Ms. Cohen won her initial court fight to have Google release info so she can find out who the anonymous blogger is. Amazing comments posted here. I think InspiredVoyage was the only one to agree that the woman is within her rights to sue for libel. Others contradicted each other, saying as a celebrity she had no right, or that she wasn’t a celebrity. Free speech means I can tell my neighbor, friend, etc. my opinion about someone. It doesn’t mean I can post my comments on a billboard for the world to read. And if the blogger didn’t think he/she was wrong they wouldn’t have posted anonymously.
You are dead wrong. She has about as much right to sue the blogger as she has for suing me for what I wrote about her in my diary.
Free Speech is ALL about protecting opinion in ANY communication medium. That includes billboards or Internet blogs. While not as concrete, anonymity, plays a role in it. Heck, some of the signatories of the US Declaration of Independence often used pen names to protect themselves from revenge attacks…like being sued by “ye olde, skanky, insecure, whores” who got a little emotional boo-boo when they read something.
Protecting unpopular opinion and opinion that may offend people on the public stage is EXACTLY what the writers of the US Constitution had in mind. That’s why this ruling is so offensive. If the spirit of this ruling was to prevail, nobody would be able to say anything negative about anyone anywhere without fear of lawsuit. We’d be living in one giant PR department, where all opinions would have to be positive towards the subject of the story.
If Hitler or Stalin were alive today, they could probably sue and win trillions of dollars.
Nothing this blogger wrote is anything but opinion. The lawsuit never should have come to a courtroom and she certainly shouldn’t have won. But after winning, the “defamed” Sasha er- Liskula Cohen decided (at this point in time) not to sue. So great was the damage caused to her that she decided to pass on the chance to redeem her virtue the court gave her. Her lawyer probably told her she had already got lucky and had no chance of further success (or should have no chance). From the beginning, it was Slap-suit designed to scare the blogger into shutting up. It worked.
The “beautiful” people DO have more rights than anyone else, I guess.
“And if the blogger didn’t think he/she was wrong they wouldn’t have posted anonymously.” -gw307
So, I guess you think you’re saying something wrong because you’re posting something anonymously….unless your real name is “gw307”.
How did she ever get modeling jobs anyway. She is ugly.