New Directions for Young Adults, Inc. v. Davis

New Directions for Young Adults, Inc. v. Davis is a 2014 decision of a Florida state circuit court holding that using sock puppet accounts online is tortious interference with business relations, and awarding injunctive relief against it during the pendency of litigation.[1]

Background

New Directions for Young Adults, Inc. (NDYA) operates in Florida and California to provide psychotherapy, social skills training, vocational training, academic counseling, and training in financial management and life management skills for young adults with developmental or psychological disorders or disabilities, "who have failed to thrive.".[2] Allegedly, Brian and Kathy Davis published derogatory statements on the Internet concerning NDYA's business and reputation, using various different false names. NDYA sued in Florida state court for defamation and tortious interference by creating a group of negative reviews of NDYA under several false identities.[3] Kathy Davis had admitted in pretrial discovery that she used four separate names in her Internet posts—"Cheyanna, Kayla, Kathy D., and William P." One of her posts, written under the name Kathy D., said, "I agree totally with William P’s review" of NDYA.[4]

Circuit court ruling

The circuit court (trial court of general jurisdiction) found that the Davises "created a false impression of a group of negative reviewers about the Plaintiffs when in fact, there is no such group of negative reviewers: only the Defendants." Moreover, the court found that "the act of falsifying multiple identities" is conduct that should be enjoined. It explained that the conduct was wrongful "not because the statements are false or true, but because the conduct of making up names of person who do not exist to post fake comments by fake people to support Defendants' position tortiously interferes with Plaintiffs' business" and such "conduct is inherently unfair." The court therefore ordered the defendants to "remove or cause to be removed all postings creating the false impression that more [than one] person are commenting on the program than actually exist." The court also found, however, that "the comments of Kathy Davis or Brian Davis which do not create a false impression of fake patients or fake employees or fake persons connected to program (those posted under their respective names) are protected by the Constitution of the United States of America, First Amendment."[5]

Commentary

One commentator argued that the court was wrong to condemn sock puppetry, as such, by finding "that the act of falsifying multiple identities is the conduct to be enjoined". He insisted that the behavior properly to be proscribed is the tortious interference, not the means to the end. "In other words, the act of creating sock puppets in and of itself cannot be a tortious act and since it is not the tortious act the court can't proscribe it." The court misses the point; "it's not the account creation that caused the defamation, it is the use to which those accounts were put." Accordingly, "the court should not have enjoined the creation of false identities, it should have enjoined the use of those false identities to create a false impression" about NDYA.[6]

References

The citations in this article are written in Bluebook style. Please see the talk page for more information.

  1. ^ New Directions for Young Adults, Inc. v. Davis (17th Jud. Cir. Broward Cty. Sept. 26, 2014) (slip op.).
  2. ^ Transitional Independent Living; Transitional Independent Living; About New Directions.
  3. ^ New Directions for Young Adults, slip op.
  4. ^ Eugene Volokh, Injunction against critical sock puppetry, Volokh Conspiracy Blog (Jan. 10, 2017).
  5. ^ New Directions for Young Adults, slip op.
  6. ^ Thinking Outloud, Volokh Conspiracy Blog (Jan. 10, 2017).

Read other articles:

Santa Isabel (estación del Metro de Santiago)

No debe confundirse con Estación sencilla Santa Isabel la estación del sistema TransMilenio de Bogotá. Santa Isabel Estación Santa IsabelUbicaciónCoordenadas 33°26′49″S 70°37′50″O / -33.447075, -70.63045Dirección Av. General Bustamante con Avenida Santa IsabelComuna ProvidenciaDatos de la estaciónInauguración 5 de abril de 1997Servicios N.º de andenes 2N.º de vías 2Operador Metro de SantiagoServicios detalladosClasificación Posición SubterráneaColor  ...

 

István IV dari Hungaria

István IVIstván IV digambarkan di Kronik PiktumRaja Hungaria dan Kroasiaditentang oleh István IIIBerkuasa1163–1165Penobatan27 Januari 1163PendahuluLászló IIPenerusIstván IIIInformasi pribadiKelahiranskt. 1133Kematian11 April (usia 31-32)Zemun, SerbiaWangsaWangsa ÁrpádAyahBéla II dari HungariaIbuIlonaPasanganMaria KomnenaAgamaKatolik Roma István IV (Hongaria: IV. Istváncode: hu is deprecated , Kroasia: Stjepan IVcode: hr is deprecated , bahasa Slowakia: Štefan IV; skt. 1133&#...

 

Emmanuel-Philibert de Savoie (1528-1580)

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Emmanuel-Philibert de Savoie. Emmanuel-Philibert (it) Emanuele Filiberto Portrait d'Emmanuel-Philibert au XVIe siècle attribué à Giorgio Soleri, musée de l'Escurial (Madrid). Titre Prince de Piémont et Duc de Savoie 17 août 1553 – 30 août 1580(27 ans et 13 jours) Prédécesseur Charles II Successeur Charles-Emmanuel Ier Gouverneurs des Pays-Bas espagnols 1555 – 1559(4 ans) Prédécesseur Marie de Hongrie Successeur Marguerite d...

Monty Python's The Life of Brian / Monty Python Scrapbook

Verry fynny movie that strongly Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK Cover of Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK paperback, 1979.EditorEric IdleAuthorsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseTerry GilliamEric IdleTerry JonesMichael PalinCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishGenreHumourPublisherEyre MethuenPublication date15 November 1979Published in EnglishPrint (softcover)ISBN0-413-46550-0Preceded byMonty Python and the Holy Grail (Book) Followed byMont...

 

Geraint Thomas

Geraint ThomasOBEInformasi pribadiNama lengkapGeraint Howell ThomasNama panggilanGTinggi183 m (600 ft 4+1⁄2 in)[1]Berat71 kg (157 pon; 11 st 3 pon)[2]Catatan membalapTim sekarangTemplat:Cycling data SKYDisiplinJalan raya dan trekPosisiRiderKategoriAll-rounder (road)Pursuiter (track)Major winsGrand Tours Tour de France General classification (2018) 3 individual stages (2017, 2018) Stage races Critérium du Dauphiné (2018) Paris–Nice (...

 

العلاقات الألمانية اليمنية

العلاقات الألمانية اليمنية ألمانيا اليمن   ألمانيا   اليمن تعديل مصدري - تعديل   العلاقات الألمانية اليمنية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين ألمانيا واليمن.[1][2][3][4][5] مقارنة بين البلدين هذه مقارنة عامة ومرجعية للدولتين: وجه المقارنة ألم�...

2013 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres

Women's 5000 metres at the 2013 World ChampionshipsGold medalist Meseret DefarVenueLuzhniki StadiumDates14 August (heats)17 August (final)Competitors22 from 16 nationsWinning time14:50.19Medalists  Meseret Defar Ethiopia (ETH) Mercy Cherono Kenya (KEN) Almaz Ayana Ethiopia (ETH)← 20112015 → Official Video Events at the2013 World ChampionshipsTrack events100 mmenwomen200 mmenwomen400 mmenwomen800 mmenw...

 

Deployment of COVID-19 vaccines

Distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations Part of a series on theCOVID-19 pandemicScientifically accurate atomic model of the external structure of SARS-CoV-2. Each ball is an atom. COVID-19 (disease) SARS-CoV-2 (virus) Cases Deaths Timeline 2019 2020 January responses February responses March responses April responses May responses June responses July responses August responses September responses October responses November responses December responses 2021 January responses F...

 

Italy national football team

Men's association football team This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Italy women's national football team. Gli Azzurri redirects here. For other uses, see Azzurri. ItalyNickname(s)Gli Azzurri (The Blues)AssociationItalian Football Federation(Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, FIGC)ConfederationUEFA (Europe)Head coachLuciano SpallettiCaptainCiro Immobile[1]Most capsGianluigi Buffon (176)Top scorerGigi Riva (35)Home stadiumVariousFIFA codeITA First colours Se...

Temple of Dendur

Ancient Egyptian temple on display in New York City Temple of DendurCompletion date10 BCEMediumAeolian sandstoneSubjectEgyptian religion and mythologyDimensions4.9 m × 6.4 m × 13 m (16 ft × 21 ft × 43 ft)LocationMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, U.S.Accession68.154 The Temple of Dendur (Dendoor in the 19th century) is a Roman Egyptian religious structure originally located in Tuzis (later Dendur), Nub...

 

Yankee Doodle Bugs

1954 American filmYankee Doodle BugsScreenshot of Yankee Doodle Bugs title cardDirected byI. FrelengStory byWarren FosterProduced byEdward Selzer (uncredited)StarringMel BlancBea Benaderet (uncredited)[1]Music byMilt FranklynAnimation byArthur DavisManuel PerezVirgil RossHarry Love (uncredited)Layouts byHawley PrattBackgrounds byIrv WynerColor processTechnicolorProductioncompanyWarner Bros. CartoonsDistributed byWarner Bros.VitaphoneRelease date August 28, 1954 (1954-08...

 

卡洛斯·梅内姆

此條目需要擴充。 (2015年11月27日)请協助改善这篇條目，更進一步的信息可能會在討論頁或扩充请求中找到。请在擴充條目後將此模板移除。 卡洛斯·梅内姆阿根廷總統府官方照片第47任阿根廷總統任期1989年7月8日—1999年12月10日副总统爱德华多·杜阿尔德卡洛斯·鲁考夫（英语：Carlos Ruckauf）前任劳尔·阿方辛 个人资料出生(1930-07-02)1930年7月2日 阿根廷拉里奥哈省阿尼利亚�...

Chazelles-sur-Lyon

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Chazelles et Lyon (homonymie). Chazelles-sur-Lyon La Mairie. Administration Pays France Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Département Loire Arrondissement Montbrison Intercommunalité Communauté de communes de Forez-Est Maire Mandat Pierre Vericel 2020-2026 Code postal 42140 Code commune 42059 Démographie Gentilé Chazellois(es) [1] Populationmunicipale 5 472 hab. (2021 ) Densité 262 hab./km2 Géographie Coordonnées 45° 38′ 22″...

 

Hannah Montana

Pour l’article homonyme, voir Hannah Montana, le film. Si ce bandeau n'est plus pertinent, retirez-le. Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus. Cet article ne cite pas suffisamment ses sources (juin 2008). Si vous disposez d'ouvrages ou d'articles de référence ou si vous connaissez des sites web de qualité traitant du thème abordé ici, merci de compléter l'article en donnant les références utiles à sa vérifiabilité et en les liant à la section « Notes et références ». En ...

 

2020年夏季奧林匹克運動會波蘭代表團

2020年夏季奥林匹克运动会波兰代表團波兰国旗IOC編碼POLNOC波蘭奧林匹克委員會網站olimpijski.pl（英文）（波兰文）2020年夏季奥林匹克运动会（東京）2021年7月23日至8月8日（受2019冠状病毒病疫情影响推迟，但仍保留原定名称）運動員206參賽項目24个大项旗手开幕式：帕维尔·科热尼奥夫斯基（游泳）和马娅·沃什乔夫斯卡（自行车）[1]闭幕式：卡罗利娜·纳亚（皮划艇）&#...

Vivid (album mini)

VividAlbum mini karya AB6IXDirilis29 Juni 2020 (2020-06-29)Direkam2020StudioBRANDNEW MUSIC StudioGenreK-popBahasaKoreanLabelBrand NewProduserRhymer (exec.)Lee Dae-hwiOUOWAYNABoombasticNomadZIcoBrightenlightNo2zcatKronologi AB6IX 5nally(2020) Vivid(2020) Salute(2020) Singel dalam album Vivid The AnswerDirilis: 29 Juni 2020 Video musikThe Answer di YouTube Vivid (ditulis sebagai VIVID) adalah album mini kedua dari grup vokal pria asal Korea Selatan AB6IX. Album ini dirilis secara digit...

 

مادة متحللة

مادة متحللة في الفيزياء (بالإنجليزية: degenerate matter) هي مادة توجد غالبا في النجوم تحت ضغط عالي جدا جدا ولها كثافة عالية جدا جدا، تلعب في تولدها صفات كمومية لتلك الأجرام. ويقصد بتحلل المادة هنا أنها ليست غاز إلكترونات أو غاز بروتونات. ولا تنطبق تلك التسمية مع مفهوم انفطار (فيزياء...

 

Andreas Vazaios

Greek swimmer (born 1994) Andreas VazaiosPersonal informationNational team GreeceBorn (1994-05-09) 9 May 1994 (age 30)Athens, GreeceHeight1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)Weight86 kg (190 lb)SportSportSwimmingStrokesButterfly, individual medleyCollege teamNC State University Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Greece Event 1st 2nd 3rd European Championships (LC) 1 0 0 European Championships (SC) 3 3 4 Mediterranean Games 3 4 2 European Junior Championships ...

America's Cup

Sailing race competition This article is about the international yachting race and trophy. For other uses, see America's Cup (disambiguation). For the most recent race, see 2024 America's Cup. America's CupThe America's Cup ewerSportSailing match raceFounded1851Most recentchampion(s) Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (4th title)Most titles New York Yacht Club (25 titles)Official websiteAmericasCup.com The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competi...

 

Katharine Way

American physicist Katharine WayBorn(1902-02-20)February 20, 1902Sewickley, PennsylvaniaDiedDecember 9, 1995(1995-12-09) (aged 93)Chapel Hill, North CarolinaCitizenshipUnited States of AmericaAlma materColumbia UniversityUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillKnown forNuclear Data ProjectScientific careerFieldsPhysicsInstitutionsUniversity of TennesseeManhattan ProjectNational Bureau of Standards Oak Ridge National LaboratoryDuke UniversityThesisPhotoelectric Cross Section ...