Did Bengals’ Cheerleader Sue The Wrong Dirty Website Over Sex Lies?
SARAH Jones has won $11million in damages from Thedirt.com, a site run by Dirty World Entertainment Recordings. Or is it The Dirty.com?
Jones, a teacher at Dixie Heights High School and cheerleader with the Cincinnati Bengals, was upset when pictures of her featured on the site TheDirty.com to illustrate the allegations that she had venereal disease and had had sex with Bengal football players, including Bengal’s kicker Shayne Graham. Jones was named as Sarah J.
The website sought to unsure itself with a disclaimer:
“Postings may contain erroneous or inaccurate information. All images are credited to their original location. The owner of this site does not ensure the accuracy of any content presented on TheDirty.com.”
Jones’ attorney, Eric Deters, says Jones asked for the story to be removed. They declined. Jones sued. And the site failed to respond. Says Deters:
“This California company was brazen. They didn’t defend it. They didn’t come. They ignored it, what is part of the punitive damage award.”
Says Jones’ mother Cheryl Jones:
“It’s not about the money. It is about personal and professional reputation totally being tainted by somebody’s nasty hateful comments that were not true.”
Still, $11million is a nice cushion to land on. But wait a moment! Did Jones’ lawyers sue the wrong company?
The lawsuit was filed against California-based Dirty World Entertainment Recordings, which runs the website TheDirt.com. But the offending allegation appeared on TheDirty.com, which operates out of Arizona.
TheDirt.com are wondering is it should sue for libel:
What the french toast??
Thedirt.com $11 Million Judgement for Libel and Slander Against Cheerleader
considering all the press coverage claiming (falsely) that they had libeled Ms. Jones. Oh, and as for TheDirty.com, it’s also asking the AP for an apology for falsely reporting that it had lost the lawsuit when it hadn’t even been served. Quite a dirty mess. Separately, I have to imagine that Jones’ lawyer, Eric Deters, now regrets his statement to the AP:
“If they would have just taken it down, this all would have been over,” Deters said. “They just kind of mocked the whole court system.”
Might have helped if you sued the right company.
Nik at TheDirty is also affronted:
THE DIRTY ARMY: Nik, so last week I read how this cheerleader Sarah J won 11 Million dollars from TheDirty.com and it was all over every single website and then I saw it all over the news and everyone was saying you lost because you knew you were wrong. Well, the next day I read that her lawyer Eric Deters had sued the wrong company and wrong guy. Then I didn’t see much coverage about AP being wrong, I didn’t see it on the news or anything. I wanted to ask you if they had apologized to you for making such a false claim.
If this is so, then the aforesaid Eric Deters, must wonder why he said:
“If they would have just taken it down, this all would have been over. They just kind of mocked the whole court system.”
They might not be the only ones…
Posted: 2nd, September 2010 | In: Key Posts, Sports Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
