Redditors (and Popehat) Versus a Bus Company

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.

Comments

Having solved all of the world's other problems

[clonehappy]

Reddit gets their panties in a bunch over a bus driver in BumfuckEgypt, IL who unsurprisingly is a lukewarm bigot. Why doesn't Reddit ever use their hivemind to affect change for any of the real, substantial problems we have in this world?

sorry

[Anonymous Coward]

but I kind of agree with

"If you don't understand English, you don't belong at the University of Illinois or any 'American' University."

best part is our tax dollars paid for them to be there while our own kids are dependent on how much money managed to save up, or get stuck with a lifetime of debt