Lawsuit Over Google Hangouts Gutted–Be In v. Google
Be In v. Google, 12-cv-03373-LHK (N.D. Cal. Oct. 9, 2013) Be In developed “CamUP,” described as a “social entertainment consumption platform that allows a group of friends to simultaneously watch, listen, chat and collaborate around shared videos, music, and other…
Police Officers Lean on School to Fire Social Worker for Facebook Post–and May Have Violated First Amendment
Perez v. Tedford, SA 13-CV-429-XR (W.D. Tx. Oct. 22, 2013) Plaintiff was a case manager at Communities in Schools of San Antonio. She was aware that an individual was subject to a protective order that prohibited contact with a student,…
Sexting a Minor Isn’t a Crime in Texas
Ex Parte John Christopher Lo, No. PD-1560-12 (Oct. 30, 2013) The highest criminal court in Texas struck down a portion of a Texas statute prohibiting “communicating in a sexually explicit manner” with a minor with the intent to arouse. (Section…
Google Wins Cookie Privacy Lawsuit
In re Google Inc. Cookie Placement Consumer Privacy Litigation, MDL Civ No. 12-2358 (D. Del. Oct. 9, 2013) [pdf] The factual background in the court’s order is fairly brief. In a nutshell, plaintiffs sued Google, along with advertisers and networks,…
Police Officer’s Facebook Venting Isn’t Protected By The First Amendment–Gresham v. Atlanta
Gresham v. City of Atlanta, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 20961 (11th Cir. Oct. 17, 2013). [Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Gresham was a law enforcement officer. She complained on Facebook about the alleged unethical interference by a department investigator in an…
Social Media Rant Against Airline Employee Wasn’t Defamatory But May Be False Light–Patterson v. Grant-Herms
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani with comments from Eric] Patterson v. Grant-Herms, 2013 Tenn. App. 675 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 8, 2013) Defendant Natalie Grant-Herms wasn’t allowed to board a flight at the same time as her four year old daughter,…
Organizing an “Internet Safety” Presentation? Don’t Troll Through Students’ Facebook Accounts Looking for Bikini Photos
[By Venkat Balasubramani, with comments from Eric] Chaney v. Fayette County Public School Dist., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143030 (N.D. Ga. Sept. 30, 2013). Chelsea Chaney posted a photo to Facebook of herself in a bikini standing next to a…
Calling Out Scraper for “Stealing” Data Is Not Defamatory – Tamburo v. Dworkin
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Tamburo v. Dworkin, 04 C 3317 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 26, 2013) This is an interesting dispute that brings together several legal doctrines we love to cover here. It’s the type of fact pattern a law school…
Wiretap Claims Against Gmail Scanning Survive Motion to Dismiss — In re: Google Inc. Gmail Litigation
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] In re: Google Inc. Gmail Litigation, 13-MD-02430-LHK (N.D. Cal. Sept. 26, 2013) This is a consolidated multi-district lawsuit challenging Google’s practice of scanning emails for the purpose of delivering advertising. In a harshly toned order, Judge…
Creating Parody Social Media Accounts Doesn’t Violate Computer Fraud & Abuse Act – Matot v. CH
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Matot v. CH, et al, 13-cv-153-TC (D.Or.) (Report and Recommendation, Aug. 19, 2013) (Order Dismissing Lawsuit, Sept. 26, 2013) This is a strange lawsuit brought by an assistant middle high school principal who alleged that defendants…