Criticized by individual on Twitter, actor James Woods files unusual $10 million defamation suit
James Woods. Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
It’s not unusual for those in the public eye to be targeted for snarky comments on social media.
But actor James Woods has made an uncommon response to what he describes as a completely false claim in an individual’s tweet that he is a cocaine addict—instead of ignoring it, he blasted back bigtime with a $10 million defamation and false light invasion of privacy suit.
“This action arises from the publication of a malicious and fabricated statement by a cowardly individual who hides behind the Twitter name ‘Abe List’ (‘AL’) to falsely accuse and humiliate others who dare to harbor opinions different from his own,” says the complaint Woods filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. “On July 15, AL stepped over the line by falsely accusing actor James Woods of being a ‘cocaine addict’ on the social media site Twitter, a message sent to thousands of AL’s followers and hundreds of thousands of Mr. Woods’s followers. In fact, Woods is not now, nor has he ever been, a cocaine addict.”
Although the identity of the defendant isn’t known, his or her social media profile suggests that AL has a role in private equity in the Los Angeles area and may be the spouse of an attorney, the Hollywood Reporter says.
Twitter has now suspended the account.
Gawker, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times (sub. req.), the San Jose Mercury News, Salon and the Washington Post (reg. req.) also have stories.
