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Redditors (and Popehat) Versus a Bus Company

Posted by timothy on from the some-people-are-nuts-in-public dept.

Techdirt explains the strange story of a lawsuit-happy bus company in Illinois which managed to tick off a cadre of determined redditors by calling them uncomplimentary names in the reddit forums. This all started when a bus passenger, Jeremy Leval, reported unsavory behavior by a company employee (telling an exchange student "If you don't understand English, you don't belong at the University of Illinois or any 'American' University.") and said so online. Besides the name calling on reddit, the bus company threatened the forum moderator with libel charges, and over insults posted by the bus company employees which the moderator had deleted. Further, company owner "[Dennis] Toeppen threatened to sue Leval, saying, 'The attorneys for Suburban Express are reviewing this incident with a view towards filing the appropriate legal action against this meddlesome MBA student.'" Attorney Ken White of Popehat got involved, though, and asked with good effect whether the company had fully considered the Streisand Effect. The strangest part? Toeppen's former involvement as a domain squatter.

5 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Sure... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Letâ(TM)s hope the Redittors are more accurate with this "issue" than they were with the Boston Bombers. People seem so willing to take whatever is posted on some web site by people that (right or wrong) have some vested thing in some opinion or view. Sometimes a critical mass builds in the Forums when the actual facts end up being completely different from reality. I wasn't there, Iâ(TM)m not jumping on the Band Wagon until the whole thing shakes out.

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Sure... by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Surely you're not suggesting that it matters what colour skin they have?

      It does when redditors are tracking down bomb suspects.

      --
      Do you even lift?

      These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  2. Stuff that matters? by hsmith · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Reddit drama on Slashdot? Is that how hard up for "news" this site has gotten?

    1. Re:Stuff that matters? by Seumas · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You hold the public in too high esteem. The majority of Americans would say "he musta been guilty or they wouldn'ta droned 'em".

      People don't want due process anymore. They don't believe in innocence until guilt is proven. They have absolutely no sense of the civil liberty they are rightfully owed other than when it comes to wanting weed to be legalized because "textiles, dude".

  3. Re:Having solved all of the world's other problems by ojno · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why doesn't Reddit ever use their hivemind to affect change for any of the real, substantial problems we have in this world?

    I can't help noticing that you don't seem to be helping the world right this second. Why are you posting on Slashdot when you could be affecting change for some of the real, substantial problems we have in this world?