Colorado lawyer wins $150K libel award against UK Internet troll who criticized his law firm
Angry and upset by an online attack that seemed to be coming from a disgruntled client, Colorado lawyer Timothy Bussey retained counsel to find out who was behind the criticism of his law firm on a Google page.
The answer, a U.K. High Court judge ruled, was Jason “Jay” Page, a British man in his twenties who lives at home with his parents, reports the Mirror. The judge awarded Bussey 100,000 pounds in damages and costs–approximately $150,410–in what is believed to be a record verdict in that country in a case involving an Internet troll.
It isn’t clear why Page targeted Bussey for the baseless criticism and the defendant argued at trial that a hacker must have hijacked his web identity. However, the judge, Sir David Eady, called that explanation “extremely improbable.”
Solicitor Will Richmond-Coggan represented Bussey and his firm and called the award “a great result for our clients.” Richmond-Coggan and the judge suggested that others might be behind the Internet attack on Bussey and the solicitor said an investigation is ongoing in both the U.K. and the U.S.
The article doesn’t include any comment by Page.
The Daily Mail and the Telegraph also have stories.
