The Libel Terrorism Protection Act
FrontPage.com ran an article today about a law being introduced to the New York Assembly and Senate…excerpt below and you can read the full article here.
The bipartisan “Libel Terrorism Protection Act” (A-9652 and S-6687), was introduced two weeks ago in the New York Assembly and Senate by Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D) and Senator Dean Skelos (R). The bill was introduced to protect New York authors and publishers who expose terrorism and terrorist financiers from meritless defamation lawsuits filed in foreign courts.
A wealthy Saudi has now successfully silenced more than 40 authors and publishers, including many Americans, through threats and lawsuits in the U.K., which has notoriously plaintiff-friendly libel laws. Dr. Ehrenfeld, author of Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It (http://www.acdemocracy.org) was sued by Saudi billionaire Khalid bin Mahfouz in a London court, despite the fact that the book was never published in England and neither Ehrenfeld nor bin Mahfouz reside there. Ehrenfeld refused to acknowledge the British court which ruled against her by default. The Court ordered large monetary damages, a “declaration of falsity” against the book, a demand for a public apology, an injunction against U.K. publication, and the destruction of the book.
We urge the NY legislators to pass “Libel Terrorism Protection Act.” This law will amend New York state nerrow “long arm” statutes to PROTECT New York writers and publishers from foreign libel lawsuits. We must stop Saudis use of foreign jurisdictions to successfully dilute America’s First Amendment protections of speech and free press.
The sooner New York passes the proposed “Libel Terrorism Protection Act” into law, the sooner the publishing capital of the U.S. and the free world — NY author and eventually U.S. authors — will be safe from meritless foreign libel judgments.
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What’s needed is not more tort laws, but judges and lawyers who understand and have read the Constitution…and who know it and the Bill Of Rights better than they know their own names.
There are far too many so-called Constitutional lawyers and talking heads who have the title of Constitutional scholar or lawyer, but who haven’t a clue about our founding documents because they have their heads stuck in tort law part of the time and up their asses the rest of the time.
We already have laws defending free speech. It’s called the First amendment. Read it sometime. Then defend it in court.
February 1st, 2008 at 12:48 pm“[…] despite the fact that the book was never published in England and neither Ehrenfeld nor bin Mahfouz reside there. Ehrenfeld refused to acknowledge the British court which ruled against her by default. The Court ordered large monetary damages, a “declaration of falsity” against the book, a demand for a public apology, an injunction against U.K. publication, and the destruction of the book.”
What do courts in England think they are anyways?
When you have to pass a law to assert the OBVIOUS, there’s something beyond wrong..
February 1st, 2008 at 5:34 pm