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| Politics Forum Index » Liberalism Politics Forum » Vice busted Black Law prof sues "Above the Law" site... |
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 Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:07 am |
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Cheapskate black john didn't like getting busted.
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435125916&La
w_prof_sues_Above_the_Law_site_for_viciously_racist_series_of_ra
nts&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1
It's the kind of story that tends to get big play on the legal
blog Above the Law: A prominent University of Miami School of
Law professor and civil rights advocate arrested on suspicion of
soliciting an undercover officer for sex.
The blog had plenty of fun with the story in October 2007 with a
series of posts about Donald Marvin Jones, whom it dubbed "The
Nutty Professor."
The only problem was that it didn't happen that way, and the
blog's coverage veered into racism, according to a lawsuit Jones
has filed in federal court. He alleged that Above the Law
portrayed him in a false light, invaded his privacy and
infringed the university's copyright on his faculty photo. Jones
seeks $22 million in damages.
An online article about the arrest by David Lat, Above the Law's
managing editor "instigated its readers not only to read the
post but also to join in what was clearly a viciously racist
series of rants" directed at the African-American professor, the
suit claims.
Jones did not respond Monday to calls for comment on the
lawsuit, which he filed pro se in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of Florida on Oct. 27. The suit names Lat,
Above the Law publisher David Minkin and parent company Dead
Horse Media Inc., now called Breaking Media LLC, as defendants.
Lat also declined comment on the suit.
The incident that touched off the blog controversy occurred on
Aug. 22, 2007, when Miami police arrested Jones for allegedly
attempting to offer an undercover officer $20 for sex, according
to the police report. In his complaint, Jones protested his
innocence. He was driving through Miami in his Mercedes-Benz
when he missed his exit and attempted to turn around on a street
in the rough Little River section of town and was stopped by
police, the document says,
"The fact that Jones was driving a luxury car in an inner city
area, the time of night, and the fact that Jones lives miles
away aroused suspicion," Jones wrote.
Jones pleaded not guilty to the solicitation charge.
Authorities later dropped the charge, and Jones' record was
expunged — but not before Above the Law received a tip about his
run-in with police. On Oct. 17, 2007, the blog ran a short post
reporting Jones' arrest and arraignment on the solicitation
charge — and that Jones teaches criminal procedure. "If there's
any technical defect in his arrest, we're sure the good
professor will be able to get himself off," said the post, which
was written by Lat.
The following day, Above the Law posted the police incident
report and noted that Jones had written a book called Race, Sex,
and Suspicion: The Myth of the Black Male. The post also poked
fun at Jones for driving a Mercedes but offering only $20 for
sex.
The blog revisited the situation on Oct. 25, 2007, with a post
noting that The Miami Herald ran a brief news report about
Jones' arrest. Finally, on Oct. 29, 2007, the blog ran a
photographic collage submitted by someone claiming to be a
University of Miami law student that depicted Jones apparently
soliciting prostitutes outside a Miami market. The collage
included a picture of Jones' face transposed onto a $20 bill. On
the site, Lat referred to the collage as a "irreverent, crass,
and politically incorrect humor." The same post contained the
following disclaimer: "We acknowledge that he merely stands
accused on wrongdoing; he hasn't been convicted of anything."
Jones argued in his lawsuit that the posts were misleading and
racist.
"This is the equivalent of creating a billboard on a highway
depicting Professor Jones as a criminal and a 'nut,' " the suit
reads. "It continues to be displayed. The materially false
statements, together with the racist imagery have significantly
damaged Professor Jones' reputation and career."
The suit alleged that the blog unlawfully used a photo of Jones
taken from the University of Miami School of Law Web site.
In addition to monetary damages, Jones asked the court to force
Above the Law to remove all the posts that refer to Jones. |
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