Media & Communications Law

Law prof isn’t sure whether Florida blogger bill applies to him, says second bill would help cop defamation suits

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-dominated state legislature are “willing to take their chances in court” with performative legislation that goes beyond the law as it currently stands, according to a professor at the Florida International University College of Law.

Mar 7, 2023 9:36 AM CST

SCOTUS appears reluctant to impose liability for websites’ third-party content

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared reluctant to impose liability on social media websites in oral arguments Tuesday and Wednesday in cases seeking to impose liability for third-party content that aids terrorism.

Feb 22, 2023 3:46 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: Judge orders reform of school-funding system; BigLaw malpractice suit settles

School-funding system violates state constitution, judge says A Pennsylvania judge has ruled that the state’s school-funding system, which is heavily dependent on local property taxes, violates the state constitutional rights of students in poor school districts. Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer said the system violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s education clause and…

Feb 10, 2023 2:44 PM CST

After seeing attitude shifts about opiate addiction, MDL lawyer targets Facebook

In 2022, a multidistrict litigation lawyer brought a federal action against Meta Platforms Inc. alleging that the algorithms are designed to be addictive.

Jan 30, 2023 8:30 AM CST

Most of Twitter’s former legal staff is gone, as is Elon Musk’s personal lawyer Alex Spiro, reports say

Twitter’s legal staff of about 200 people is mostly gone following the social media company’s takeover nearly two months ago by Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk. He has also replaced two law firms and reportedly ousted the personal lawyer he installed as the interim legal chief.

Dec 16, 2022 11:37 AM CST

Law prof sues over New York law requiring bloggers and websites to address online hate speech

A blogging law professor is a plaintiff in a lawsuit claiming that a New York law pressures bloggers and websites to remove hate speech that is protected by the First Amendment.

Dec 6, 2022 12:42 PM CST

More than $2M in sanctions sought against Gibson Dunn and Facebook

Plaintiffs are seeking more than $2 million in sanctions against Facebook and its lawyers at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher after a federal judge said they engaged in “dilatory discovery conduct.”

Nov 22, 2022 10:43 AM CST

Would Twitter get Section 230 immunity in lawsuits filed over fake tweets with blue check marks?

Plaintiffs lawyer Jay Edelson told Reuters that he is researching whether Twitter could be sued for giving blue check marks to fake accounts that misled consumers and corporate shareholders.

Nov 15, 2022 12:39 PM CST

Meet Alex Spiro, a lawyer ‘in constant motion’ who is helping Elon Musk change Twitter

Alex Spiro—a lawyer with a celebrity client list—has become one of Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk’s “closest lieutenants, confidants and consiglieres,” according to a profile.

Nov 7, 2022 2:40 PM CST

Police create disproportionate amount of social media posts about Black suspects, study finds

In a study of about 14,000 Facebook pages maintained by law enforcement agencies, three law school professors found that posts about serious crimes overrepresented Black suspects by 25 percentage points compared to arrest rates.

Nov 3, 2022 10:10 AM CDT

‘Reply all’ in electronic communications can imply consent, new ABA ethics opinion says

Lawyers who copy their clients on emails and other forms of electronic communications when messaging a lawyer representing someone in the same matter have given implied consent to receiving a “reply all” response back from the recipient counsel, absent special circumstances, according to a new ethics opinion from the ABA.

Nov 2, 2022 10:02 AM CDT