BuzzFeed sued over its publication of uncorroborated Trump dossier

The Russian owner(s) of a company in Cyprus have filed a lawsuit against online news site BuzzFeed.

BuzzFeed are the ones that published stories about Trump and all those Russian hacking rumors.

Lots of people involved.

Ironic too as usual.

BuzzFeed sued over its publication of uncorroborated Trump dossier

A Russian-tied tech firm named in a controversial dossier containing uncorroborated allegations about President Donald Trump and the hacking of Democratic National Committee email accounts announced late Friday that it has filed defamation suits against the online news site BuzzFeed, its editor in chief and a former British intelligence agent.

The lawsuits were brought by XBT Holdings, a Cyprus-based company owned by Russian tech magnate Aleksej Gubarev. Lawyers for his firm filed complaints Friday in London against the former spy and his company, and against BuzzFeed and its editor in chief, Ben Smith, in Broward County Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where XBT’s subsidiary Webzilla is headquartered.

Free speech is not always free!

I don't get it when news establishments just make up stories about people and don't expect blow back.

The big blow back is coming and it will hit both sides.

Instead of laws limiting free speech to the truth, the control mechanism, at least in the USA is the threat of being sued.

There will be lots of law suits but they will come in in dribs and drabs.

Once a few of them go through the courts, others will be embolden to do the same.

It should be a big party and I foresee both sides getting hit again and again.

The other avenue at a later stage, after courts have had their say on libel laws, is for the AG to star issuing arrests for sedition. That will possibly come a bit later.

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a reply to: pheonix358

I don't get it when news establishments just make up stories about people and don't expect blow back.

Are you thinking that BuzzFeed created the dossier?

a reply to: Phage

I will wait for the evidence and the opinion of the Judge. I do not have enough reliable information to make that determination. I may also have to wait for the appeals.

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a reply to: pheonix358

www.recode.net...

a reply to: xuenchen

Of course the people suing are Russia.

Because, of course.

a reply to: Phage

Thanks, it seems they will be paying out some $$ over this.

I think more will come out IF it ever gets to court!

If it is settled before going to court, others will jump on the band wagon and so they should.

This election cycle was just terrible for made up stories and blatant lies.

Luckily, in Australia, we have laws to prevent these things from happening.

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a reply to: pheonix358

There are laws here too.

This is just to rich. A Russian company suing Buzz Feed? HAHAHA. The lawsuit should get thrown out pretty quickly.

Sued for slander, our freedom of speech does not protect us from being slanderous. On top of that, our freedoms of speech does not protect us from foreign companies suing us for untrue or unproven remarks that we make.

a reply to: rickymouse

Sued for slander

Libel, actually, in this case.

On top of that, our freedoms of speech does not protect us from foreign companies suing us for untrue or unproven remarks that we make.

They don't protect us from anyone suing us for anything. In this case, as long as they can prove that something was untruthful, was published knowingly as untruthful, and was published with intent to defame; they can win the suit.

I am a Trump supporter, and I don't agree with this lawsuit.

As Phage alluded to, Buzzfeed didn't create the Dossier.

While I think that it was not only terrible journalism, but also a partisan attack on Trump by Buzzfeed, what they did was not illegal.

a reply to: xuenchen

That's funny.

And then again Russia is arresting and murdering agents left and right to cover it up so maybe that dossier isn't so bogus after all.
Who wants to bet trump quashes the FBI investigation into their activities while insisting we investigate imaginary votes being cast by the millions by illegal aliens.?

a reply to: xuenchen

But buzzfeed didn't write it. They just printed it.
Kind of like holding Gutenberg responsible for the contents of the bible.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: rickymouse

Sued for slander

Libel, actually, in this case.

On top of that, our freedoms of speech does not protect us from foreign companies suing us for untrue or unproven remarks that we make.

They don't protect us from anyone suing us for anything. In this case, as long as they can prove that something was untruthful, was published knowingly as untruthful, and was published with intent to defame; they can win the suit.

That's a pretty tall order. I see a dismissal. Funny enough it goes to intent once again.

i would think it wouldnt be difficult to show a pattern of behavior of media outlets like Buzzfeed to traffick in controversial, salacious and borderline stories for various reasons. In this case, im pretty sure it was politically motivated and i think there is even a video of the owner or editor proving that he wanted to do something to smear Trump. If that can be established it will be a slam dunk.

originally posted by: tribal
i would think it wouldnt be difficult to show a pattern of behavior of media outlets like Buzzfeed to traffick in controversial, salacious and borderline stories for various reasons. In this case, im pretty sure it was politically motivated and i think there is even a video of the owner or editor proving that he wanted to do something to smear Trump. If that can be established it will be a slam dunk.

What about Breitbart? Should Hillary Clinton sue them? Definite slam dunk.