Rosemary Port, a blogger who was recently unmasked as the author of a spiteful blog targeting a fashion model, plans to sue Google for revealing her identity.
Last year, Port, 29, created a blog on Google-owned blogger.com called ‘Skanks of NYC’, featuring images of 37 year old New-York-based model Liskula Cohen (pictured), along with offensive remarks relating to her sexual practices, appearance, and hygiene. The site – since deleted – was apparently created as a revenge attack on the model, who had allegedly spoken badly of Port to an ex-boyfriend.
Shocked by the blog and considering a defamation suit, Cohen instructed her lawyers to identify the creator. New York state supreme court judge Joan Madden ordered Google to turn over the identity of Port. Google responded by providing an IP address and email address identifying the 29 year old.
Although she initially launched a US$3 million defamation suit against Port, Cohen had a change of heart and dropped the lawsuit. Explaining the about-face, Cohen said:
This is about forgiveness. It adds nothing to my life to hurt hers. I wish her happiness.
Port is far from happy, however, and plans to sue Google in a US$18 million lawsuit for capitulating to the court and revealing her identity.
Port’s lawyer, Salvatore Strazzullo, said:
I’m ready to take this all the way to the Supreme Court … Our Founding Fathers wrote The Federalist Papers under pseudonyms. Inherent in the First Amendment is the right to speak anonymously. Shouldn’t that right extend to the new public square of the internet?
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