Lawyer Sues Huff Post, Says He Wasn't Author and Disagrees with Article Published Under His Name
Updated: A partner in a Panama law firm has sued the Huffington Post in federal court in Washington, D.C., contending that he wasn’t the author of a blog post published under his name (and featuring his photo) and disagrees with the views it expresses.
Juan Carlos Noriega also says he never had an account with the Huffington Post and is concerned that the article could create immigration-related issues for him by attributing opinions to him which he does not hold. However, he says in the suit that when he complained that he had been a victim of identity theft and asked the Huffington Post to take down and retract the article, he never received a response. His suit was filed Friday, the Blog of Legal Times reports.
The article at issue, titled “The Primacy of the Rule of Law,” is no longer available at the Huffington Post site.
Juan Carlos Noriega is a name partner of Arias Abrego Lopez & Noriega and is asserting claims for defamation per se and false light invasion of privacy and seeks a retraction, the identity of the person who posted the article under his name and at least $3 million in damages, plus fees and costs, according to the complaint (PDF).
Partner Benjamin Chew of Patton Boggs represents Noriega. Contending that the Huffington Post never tried to contact Noriega before posting the article, Chew called it “unconscionable that the Huffington Post would not have done a modicum of due diligence before putting out an article on a subject like this, or any subject, without verifying the author.”
The Blog of Legal Times could not immediately reach a Huffington Post representative for comment.
Updated at 6 p.m. to note the “The Primacy of the Rule of Law” is no longer live at Huffington Post.
