Blog Wins Ruling in Dispute Over 'Rogue Giraffe' Satire
A Louisiana judge has overturned an order that had required a blog to remove a satire about a “rogue giraffe” attack that never really happened.
The Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, La., had sought an injunction after a blog called the Hammond Action News wrote that the giraffe had killed tour guide Dizzy Dimarco, identified as a member of Ponchatoula Speed Quilters and Sam’s Club in a later obituary on the website.
“Dimarco was pronounced dead upon arrival at Lallie Kemp Hospital, then again at North Oaks after relatives demanded a second opinion,” the blog said.
On Monday, Judge Beth Wolfe dissolved the TRO that had been issued by another judge and ordered payment of attorney fees to the blog author, Nicholas Brilleaux, according to the Associated Press and the Citizen Media Law Project. The American Civil Liberties Union had filed an amicus brief arguing the story was protected by the First Amendment.
The wildlife center had received calls from concerned citizens who thought the article was true.
Brilleaux, a senior majoring in history at Southeastern Louisiana University, is an aspiring filmmaker, according to 2theadvocate.com.
Hat tip to Legal Blog Watch.
