WebProNews

Tag: sue

  • Arwa Damon and CNN Sued for Anchor’s Biting Attack

    We’ve all been there before – You’re at a party after a long, hard week at work and it’s finally time to let loose. You have a beer or two, and then another, and another… Until you wake up the next morning and have no clue what happened during the past 48 hours. And, because we’ve all been there, no one judges those people when that state hits them. However, CNN anchor Arwa Damon seems to have taken the post-work stress-relief binger a bit(e) too far.

    On Monday, TMZ broke the news that CNN and Damon were being sued by two EMTs due to her actions at the US Embassy in Baghdad in July. After having one (or several) too many drinks, Damon became unruly and violent. Authorities were called to assist with the situation, and things only went downhill from there.

    While trying to assist Damon, EMTs Charles Simons and Tracy Lamar claim to have been bitten by a “seriously intoxicated” and violent Damon. Instead of apologizing for her actions or attempting to rectify the situation, Damon then allegedly threatened the paramedics, stating that she “was a major reporter for CNN.”

    On Monday, CNN stated that “We are not aware of the alleged lawsuit and therefore have no comment.” Today, however, a CNN representative stated, “We are aware of the lawsuit and are looking into it.”

    The news has to come as a shock to CNN, who considers Damon one of their best reporters. Damon has been employed at CNN since 2006, during which time she has covered many stories in the Middle East. Earlier this year, Damon was awarded the Courage in Journalism Award by the International Women’s Media Foundation. The foundation stated that “Regardless of the constant shelling and sniper fire during her last trip to Homs, Arwa Damon’s persistence, strength and focus on bringing forth what needs to be known in order to help document history, has her standing tall amidst the rubble.”

    While Damon nor CNN have admitted guilt yet, an apology emailed by Damon to the embassy staff seems to be an admission of guilt:

    It’s been an extremely stressful time, I was exhausted, I had not had proper food all day and clearly miscalculated how my body would handle the alcohol consumed … Needless to say, I am utterly mortified and take full responsibility for my actions, which are inexcusable.

    I am being filled in on the details of my behavior. I am beyond embarrassed. My actions and words were entirely out of my character, and I hope that everyone can at some point forgive me.

    So once again, I am apologizing and extending my thanks to all that were involved in ensuring that I am, thankfully, in the end, taken care of and physically at least OK. Everyone was extremely professional and courteous in the face of my unjustified behavior.

    Both paramedics are seeking $1 million in punitive damages.

    Image via YouTube

  • Man Doesn’t Like Facebook Photo Tags, Sues

    Minneapolis resident Aaron Olson really didn’t like the photos his uncle Randall posted on his Facebook Timeline. So, he sued for harrassment. Then lost. Then tried for an appeal. And lost again.

    Randall Labrie posted reportedly embarrassing photos of Olson in front of a Christmas tree, and added snarky comments to the images. Olson didn’t take this too well, and filed a complaint, according to Newser. Olsen initially lost his case in a Minnesotan district court, and then moved on to the State Court of Appeals. There, Judge Natalie E. Hudson had this to say:

    To constitute harassment, words must have a substantial adverse effect on the safety, security, or privacy of another. Comments that are mean and disrespectful, coupled with innocuous family photos, do not affect a person’s safety, security, or privacy — and certainly not substantially so. The district court did not err by determining that the evidence submitted by appellant did not satisfy the statutory definition of harassment.

    Also, during the district court hearing, Olson represented himself pro se, like Ted Bundy did, and went on to complain of court bias against him, citing his socioeconomic status and religion. Over a Facebook wall photo. No mention of Olson’s age or sample photos could be found. Was it this one?

    I wonder if Olson is aware that the majority of the readers of his story will possibly spend a bit of time searching for his shameful Christmas shots in question. While 83% of users from a recent poll find pre-tagging requests to be common courtesy, there are “delete,” “block,” “report user,” “suspend account,” etc. features that exist in Facebook, for free, (and always will be), that could be tried out before calling the law. Or even better, one could activate Facebook’s photo tagging approval feature. How bad could the pictures have been?