slander

10 Stories

Amanda Knox Returns to Italian Court

American convicted, then cleared of murder, now is fighting a slander count

(Newser) - Amanda Knox, an American woman who spent four years in an Italian prison before her murder conviction in the slaying her roommate was overturned, is back in that country's court system. This time, she's trying to have a slander verdict tossed out in a retrial, the Guardian reports....

'Sewer Rat' Insult Does Not Sit Well With Turkish Leader

Recep Tayyip Erdogan sues German lawmaker over insult

(Newser) - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is suing a senior German lawmaker who called him a "sewer rat," his lawyer said Friday. Mustafa Kaplan confirmed a report by German weekly Der Spiegel that he had filed a criminal complaint for slander and libel against lawmaker Wolfgang Kubicki on...

In China, Signs of 'Absolute Political Totalitarianism'

Citizens face up to 3 years in prison for mocking national heroes

(Newser) - There's a rumor that the son of Chinese Marxist leader Mao Zedong was killed in a US airstrike during the Korean War because he lit a stove to make fried rice. Referring to that rumor, a man wrote online last month that "that fried rice was the best...

Brazil Judge: Bust Google Boss for YouTube Videos

Judge says videos violate election laws

(Newser) - A judge has ordered the arrest of a Brazilian Google boss for his failure to pull YouTube videos. Authorities argue that the videos—concerning accusations against a Campo Grande mayoral candidate—are slanderous and violate election laws, reports the BBC . An electoral court said Fabio Jose Silva Coelho committed the...

Girls Gone Wild Founder Loses $20M Slander Suit

Jury sides with casino mogul Steve Wynn

(Newser) - Lots of girls are going to have to go pretty wild to pay off Joe Francis' legal bills: A jury has awarded casino mogul Steve Wynn $20 million in his slander suit against the Girls Gone Wild soft-porn tycoon, reports the Los Angeles Times . Francis had publicly claimed that Wynn...

Amanda Knox Indicted for Slandering Cops

Prosecutors say she lied when she said cops beat her in '07

(Newser) - Are you ready for a second Amanda Knox trial? Knox has been indicted on slander charges for saying she was beaten by police during her 2007 questioning. A judge indicted Knox after speaking with her in a closed-doors hearing, the AP reports. The trial is set to begin May 17....

Amanda Knox Back in Court on Cop Slander Charge

'Foxy Knoxy' in court for saying police beat her

(Newser) - Amanda Knox will leave prison for the first time in 6 months today to answer slander charges stemming from her murder trial in Italy. The American—serving a 26-year sentence for killing British student Meredith Kercher—testified during her year-long murder trial that police beat her during questioning. She faces...

Seinfeld Defense: Lawsuits are Funny

Sez silly suits are fodder for routine

(Newser) - Jerry Seinfeld insisted yesterday that he didn’t slander a woman suing his wife for cookbook plagiarism because silly lawsuits are fodder for good comedy. The comic cited episodes from Seinfeld as well as his kid-friendly Bee Movie in a court filing as examples of the First Amendment-protected comedic license...

McCain Pockets $70K From Swift Boaters

Against '04 ads, he's now using veteran who appeared in them

(Newser) - John McCain has taken nearly $70,000 in donations from top funders of the notorious Swift Boat Vets for Truth, the group that assaulted John Kerry’s military record in 2004—prompting censure from McCain at the time as “dishonest and dishonorable.” A rep was coy in response,...

Rutgers Player Sues Imus Over Insults

Fired radio host hit with libel, slander, defamation charges

(Newser) - One of the Rutgers basketball players radio host Don Imus referred to as "nappy-headed hos" is suing the shock jock for libel, slander, defamation, and violation of her civil rights, among other charges. Kia Vaughn, 20, the Scarlet Knights' star center, is seeking unspecified monetary damages from the 67-year-old...

10 Stories