[general_re]

Has anyone ever been successfully sued for a comment made over the internet on a message board or discussion group?

Here's one.

[stainlessbanner]

14k posts is extreme. Aside from famous, hi-profile celebs, there are not many libel suits. I think the average libel lawsuit takes 4 years.

"It's hard to win a libel case given the framework the US Supreme Court has erected in order to protect First Amendment interests, most notably in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964) and Gertz v. Robert Welch Inc. (1974)."

Source: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.03/letitdie.html