BDx13
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Colo. man charged with libel over Craigslist posts
Tue Dec 2, 5:57 am ET
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A man accused of making unflattering online comments about his former lover and her attorney on Craigslist has been charged with
two counts of criminal libel.
"It's not a charge you see a lot of," Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abrahamson said of the 1800s-era state law that can put people in jail
for the content of their speech or writing.
Abrahamson charged J.P. Weichel, 40, of Loveland, in October over posts he allegedly made on Craigslist's "Rants and Rave" section.
The case began when a woman told Loveland police in December 2007 about postings made about her between November and December 2007. Court records show
posts that suggested she traded sexual acts for legal services from her attorney and mentioned a visit from child services because of an injury to her
child.
Police obtained search warrants for records from Web sites including Craigslist before identifying Weichel as the suspect. Weichel shares a child with
the woman.
Weichel, confronted by detectives at his workplace in August, said he was "just venting," according to court records.
No phone listing could be found for Weichel, and his attorney, Michael Liggett of Fort Collins, didn't immediately return a message left Monday by The
Associated Press.
Libel is commonly seen as a civil case. Denver attorney Steve Zansberg, who specializes in First Amendment law, said prosecutors seeking criminal
libel cases could have a "chilling" effect on free speech in Colorado, particularly over the Internet.
Abrahamson wasn't so sure. He said it is up to police departments to pursue cases.
Zansberg contends the law is outdated, is unclear about stating opinions and is written in such a way that dead people could be victims of criminal
libel.
The statute allows prosecution for speech "tending to blacken the memory of one who is dead" or to "expose the natural defects of one who is alive,
and thereby to expose him to public hatred, contempt or ridicule." Criminal libel carries a punishment of up to 18 months in prison.
If I fail math, there goes my chance at a good job and a happy life full of hard work.
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upyerbum
Posting Freak
Posts: 3226
Registered: 10-14-2005
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Condemned 84
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BD
"expose the natural defects of one who is alive, and thereby to expose him to public hatred, contempt or ridicule." |
We just used to call it High School.
Well, its this place where nobody works, and the pigs don\'t give you any shit. Everyone smokes weed and gets drunk all day. Its a place where
cunts like me and you can truly take it easy and relax. Know what I mean?
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