Posted on 03/18/2019 3:38:17 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
California GOP Rep. Devin Nunes filed a major lawsuit seeking $250 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages against Twitter and a handful of its users on Monday, accusing the social media site of "shadow-banning conservatives" including himself to influence the 2018 elections, systematically censoring opposing viewpoints and totally "ignoring" lawful complaints of repeated abusive behavior.
In a complaint filed in Virginia state court on Monday, obtained by Fox News, Nunes said Twitter was guilty of "knowingly hosting and monetizing content that is clearly abusive, hateful and defamatory – providing both a voice and financial incentive to the defamers – thereby facilitating defamation on its platform."
Although federal law ordinarily exempts services like Twitter from defamation liability, Nunes' suit said the platform has taken such an active role in curating and banning content that it should face liability like any other organization that defames.
"Twitter created and developed the content at issue in this case by transforming false accusations of criminal conduct, imputed wrongdoing, dishonesty and lack of integrity into a publicly available commodity used by unscrupulous political operatives and their donor/clients as a weapon," Nunes' legal team wrote. "Twitter is 'responsible' for the development of offensive content on its platform because it in some way specifically encourages development of what is offensive about the content."
In large part because of Twitter's actions, Nunes "endured an orchestrated defamation campaign of stunning breadth and scope, one that no human being should ever have to bear and suffer in their whole life" in the past year, according to the complaint.
The complaint also named specific Twitter accounts that spread allegedly defamatory material about Nunes. One defendant, identified as "Liz" Mair, purportedly published tweets that "implied that Nunes colluded with prostitutes and cocaine addicts, that Nunes does cocaine,
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This is just a recipe for having the social media companies throttle back all speech.
Who would want their site to turn into a cesspool like Gab, and more to the point who would advertise on sites like that?
It seems this would just drive users to a non-American platform, or do we now want to erect a Great Firewall of our own to keep our citizens from accessing foreign sites?
I agree. These two men together are so strong.
This is just a recipe for having the social media companies throttle back all speech.
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Facebook, Twitter and sites like these are DEDICATED to ending free speech. I don’t like Gab either, but at least they don’t censor anyone’s freedom of speech.
No speech, no users.
No users, no advertisers.
No advertisers, no money for the platform.
You might need to review your premise.
I don’t like Gab either, but at least they don’t censor anyone’s freedom of speech.
And very few people want to spend time there as a result.
Is this what you want for Facebook, or are you under the misimpression that the only thing censored there is conservative speech?
Is this what you want for Facebook, or are you under the misimpression that the only thing censored there is conservative speech?
I guess I am under a misimpression. And yes. This (few people there) is EXACTLY what I want for Facebook.
Zuckerberg has an agenda to destroy free speech by targeting conservatives. And unless he is brought under regulatory guidelines to promote free speech and stop demonetizing content; then yeah. I want no money or advertizers for his anti-American agenda.
Nunes is going to win his lawsuit. Twitter had the arrogance to reinstate the ‘Devin Nunes Mom’ account after temporary suspending it. Twitter is clearly supporting libel.
“The complaint also named “Devin Nunes’ Mom,” “a person who, with Twitter’s consent, hijacked Nunes’ name, falsely impersonated Nunes’ mother, and created and maintained an account on Twitter (@DevinNunesMom) for the sole purpose of attacking, defaming, disparaging and demeaning Nunes.”
Praise God! (HalleluYah!)
“falsely impersonated Nunes’ mother”
It was clearly a parody. I don’t think anyone thought that it was really his mother.
What exactly did you think the Leftist Twits were going to say?
OKeefe has the video evidence to completely support Devin in plain sight!
Jack will be DEPOSED. UNDER OATH. This suit was meant as a perjury trap. Jack hired one too many mandarins who like to talk, and contradict the party line —- not to mention the comrade cadre at Foogle whom Jack actively courted right before the 2016 election for a fire sale! Com-pro-mised.
On CBS This Morning Norduh O’Donnell and Gayle (friend’s with Oprah) thought this suit was knee slapping funny and called it frivolous. Are they reporters or commentators? Yea, I know, they are liberal activists masquerading as journalists.
The person who needs to sue is Sarah Palin.
This shadowbanning of her and her followers’ tweets was happening starting in 2012 and 2013!
I know this lawyer, Biss. I am surprised he was picked for this case.
For example, he has been disciplined by the Virginia State Bar repeatedly.
Excellent, no wonder leftist media sources were taking twitter comments as factual news.
Disagree. Twitter, Facebook, and Google all claim they are not producing content, but they are curating content, deleting some legal content and promoting other content. This makes them a publisher subject to laws on slander, libel and defamation.
I get where you're coming from, but Fox, Rush and Ingram already have that liability. If any of them make deliberately false statements about an individual or entity, they can be sued. The tech monopolies, if they want to avoid that, need to cease deleting legal content. A good antitrust suit is also in order, right now.
I too love Devin Nunes. I have been a fan of his
since he entered the House of Representatives
originally because although he is not my rep he
and I both are graduates of Cal Poly, San Luis
Obispo and conservative. I have added the fact that
he has proven to be a fighter to my list of reasons
for my affection for this politician.
Nunes along with Trey Gowdy have been criticized by
fellow FReepers because they fight the good fight
but have nothing to show for it. I still defend
them. Why? Because when it comes down to it they
need the backing of leadership RINOS like Paul
Ryan before they can do more than kick libtard
ass in congressional hearings. When they were in
the majority they didn’t get that support and they
couldn’t very well complain about it publicly for
fear of reprisals. Insread, they went on FOX to
try to get all of us conservatives to exert pressure
on the Republican leadership. Too few of us ever
got the hint. For various reasons our leadership
Republicans pulled in their reins.
Because of his position I am doubtful Nunes will
get far with his lawsuits. But perhaps since you
are a fellow Nunes fan the next time he gets
slammed for doing nothing by fellow FReepers you
will consider joining me in my defense of him.
Sarah, please read my post, #99.
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