We all may need to be more careful in what we say online. A Florida woman was awarded $11.3 million for defamation against a Louisiana woman who said on the Internet that she was a "crook," a "con artist" and a "fraud."
USA Today reported that it "represents the largest such judgment over postings on an Internet blog or message board."
The case, tried in Florida, astounded some in the Legal community. Lyrissa Lidsky, a University of Florida law professor who specializes in free-speech issues said that the large award was "astonishing."
Even though she knew she would probably not collect anything, the Florida woman pursued the case anyway, because "People are using the Internet to destroy people they don't like, and you can't do that."
As a result of the jury verdict the defendent said, "I don't feel like I can express my opinions."
You can see where this will go in the future, especially with jury cases.
This should make a lot of us cautious (not afraid) in what we say online. Legal analysts say that this will probably be a wave of the future.
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