Sidebar by Courthouse News

Mean Tweets

March 05, 2024 Season 4 Episode 3
Sidebar by Courthouse News
Mean Tweets
Show Notes

Editor’s note: This episode is not family friendly due to some colorful language.

A long-running feud between eviction lawyers Dennis Block and Danny Bramzon cumulated into a Twitter parody account and a libel lawsuit that made it all the way to a jury trial.

In the third episode this season, we take the temperature of defamation law in the 21st century when it comes to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Block isn’t the only one unsuccessful in the courtroom. A lawsuit that sought to take down Elon Musk over his infamous “pedo guy” tweet failed, as did efforts by “badass lawyer” Todd Levitt and former Congressman Devin Nunes over their Twitter impersonators.

Why is it so hard to win a defamation lawsuit when digital satire is at play? The courtroom becomes a crucible, with jurors and judges wrestling over the true nature of parody, leaving us pondering the potential repercussions of a legal system scrambling to catch up with the online world’s rapid evolution.

Special guests:

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.

Editorial staff is Bill Dotinga, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.