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Judge: Anonymous "Skank" Blogger Must Be Revealed
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 18, 2009
Modified Aug 18, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 18, 2009
Modified Aug 18, 2009
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A former Australian Vogue cover model, whose modeling career ended last year after a doorman disfigured her face with a broken bottle, has obtained a court order to learn the identity of an anonymous blogger who created a site called "Skanks in NYC" to insult her. The site, which was hosted by Google subsidiary Blogger.com, featured photos of Liskula Cohen with captions using the words "skank," "ho" and "whoring." (It's no longer active, but Blogger says "the name skanksnyc is available to register!") A Manhattan judge ruled yesterday that Cohen is entitled to file a defamation lawsuit, and Google must reveal the blogger's identity in order for her to do so. Speaking to the Post, Cohen's lawyer said something that might give some website commenter trolls pause: "The rules for defamation on the Web—for actual reality as well as virtual reality—are the same. The Internet is not a free-for-all." But a lawyer for the Skanks in NYC blogger insists, "You can be really, really mean to people—you just can't lie about a set of facts that are provable as lies." As for Cohen, she tells the Post, "I really hope it's not somebody I know."
Tagged
anonymous
blogger
lawsuit
Liskula Cohen
model
skanks nyc
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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