Horizon Group v. Bonnen
Horizon Group Management v. Bonnen, No. 2009 L 008675 (
Horizon contended that Bonnen defamed Horizon by posting a "tweet", or Twitter message, on May 12, 2009, to her friends that said, "You should just come anyway. Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it's ok." Horizon asked for at least $50,000 for the alleged libel[1] characterized by the plaintiff's attorney as "liable [sic] per se."[2] The story was first made public by the ChicagoNow columnist Marian Wang.[3]
Jeffrey Michael, whose family runs Horizon, said the suit was warranted and that Horizon is "a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization."[4]
The lawsuit prompted widespread comment from journalists, bloggers, and legal experts. Sam Bayard, assistant director of Harvard's Citizen Media Law Project called the suit "foolhardy", adding "They chose to file a lawsuit, instead drawing more attention to it," rather than handling the matter as a consumer complaint.[5]
Michael later stated that Bonnen's Twitter post emerged from an earlier lawsuit by Bonnen that Horizon violated the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance, although Michael denied his suit was a strategic lawsuit against public participation. The exact cause of Bonnen's lawsuit was not discussed by Michael, but he acknowledged a leaky roof at the apartment complex caused by a contractor in March 2009.[1][6] Court documents revealed that Bonnen originally sued Horizon for failing to pay interest on security deposits and failing to provide tenants with required porch safety disclosures.[7]
Bonnen was represented by the Balough Law Offices, LLC, the Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law at
See also
References
- ^ a b "Defamation lawsuit for US tweeter". BBC News. July 29, 2009.
- ^ Horizon Group Management, LLC v Amanda Bonnen, Cook County No. 2009 L 8675, Complaint Archived 2009-08-06 at the Wayback Machine, ΒΆ 10
- ^ Marian Wang (July 27, 2009). "Will one Chicago woman's Tweet cost her $50,000?". ChicagoNow. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009.
- ^ "Tweet about apartment mold draws lawsuit". Chicago Sun Times. July 28, 2009. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009.
- ^ Ben Meyerson; Andrew Wang (July 29, 2009). "Tweet lawsuit: Chicago Landlord sues ex-tenant over tweet complaining about apartment: Internet is buzzing after ex-tenant sued for online complaint". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Ashby Jones (July 28, 2009). "'Sue First, Ask Questions Later'? Not So Fast, Says Twitter-Suit Plaintiff". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Marian Wang. "Tweeting ex-tenant's lawsuit against Horizon Realty revealed". ChicagoNow. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009.
- ^ "Judge: Tweet "lacks context" for court action". McCormick Freedom Projects. January 20, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010.(subscription required)
External links
- Horizon Group Management, LLC v Amanda Bonnen, Cook County No. 2009 L 8675, Complaint