Phil suing over some anonymous yoyo

[brocks]

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/mickelson-going-to-court-to-stop-vicious-rumors/ Just saw this article. Apparently there is some guy who posts to various Yahoo forums trashing Phil and his family, and Phil is suing the ISP to get his name. Kind of unbelievable. If Tiger sued everybody who posted about him taking PEDs, he'd never get anything else done.

[inthehole]

Phil needs to worry about keeping his drive on the fairway & getting his putter back.

[Zwick]

No one would really know/belive in those stories, but now he makes them interesting...

But I don't care, what the golfers do off the course, as long as it isn't very very illegal.

[AmazingWhacker]

Bad move by Phil, in my opinion.  I understand him being upset by the comments him but going after some anonymous idioit on the internet makes Phil seem sort of petty and insecure.  In other news, Phil reads comments about himself on the internet.  Does this mean he will read this right now when I say Phil really needs to get offline and spend some time on the range or with a new coach or . .something!

[TourSpoon]

I would comment but my attorney has advised against it.

[shades9323]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

Bad move by Phil, in my opinion.  I understand him being upset by the comments him but going after some anonymous idioit on the internet makes Phil seem sort of petty and insecure.  In other news, Phil reads comments about himself on the internet.  Does this mean he will read this right now when I say Phil really needs to get offline and spend some time on the range or with a new coach or . .something!

With the potential to cost Phil money in the future, I don't blame him from stopping someone from libeling him.

[Mr. Desmond]

No better way to stop the rumors by the accuser himself, by making him get an attorney, who will advise him to stop spreading rumors and lies, and then get him into interrogatories -- we're talking over $10,000 by the time it gets there, and that's just a start... that should shut the guy up.

It will also have a freezing effect on other yo-yos.

[Yukari]

I didn't know there was degree to illegality.

I thought it was either legal or illegal, period.

Originally Posted by Zwick

No one would really know/belive in those stories, but now he makes them interesting...

But I don't care, what the golfers do off the course, as long as it isn't very very illegal.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by Yukari

I didn't know there was degree to illegality.

I thought it was either legal or illegal, period.

You're obviously not a lawyer.

[Yukari]

There may be a question of whether something is a legal or illegal depending on circumstances and mitigating factors, but there is no degree of illegality.

Something can not be "very very illegal", that is all I am saying.

Originally Posted by bunkerputt

You're obviously not a lawyer.

[newtogolf]

It's one thing to post things about the person, it's another to attack their wife.  Phil has lived with the man boobs jokes, etc but no one should be expected do nothing when his family brought into it.

Originally Posted by brocks

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/mickelson-going-to-court-to-stop-vicious-rumors/

Just saw this article. Apparently there is some guy who posts to various Yahoo forums trashing Phil and his family, and Phil is suing the ISP to get his name.

Kind of unbelievable. If Tiger sued everybody who posted about him taking PEDs, he'd never get anything else done.

[GJBenn85]

Phil is going to find out that defamation laws do not offer the same protection to public figures as they do typical citizens.  Public figures includes anyone that is well known, not just politicians.

[Mr. Desmond]

I saw some of the comments on yahoo sports.

The guy keeps on going and won't let it go.

That tells you something...

[Elvisliveson]

Originally Posted by brocks

If Tiger sued everybody who posted about him taking PEDs, he'd never get anything else done.

Um, could be there is another reason Tiger wouldn't (read: couldn't) sue over that.

[AmazingWhacker]

Originally Posted by shades9323

With the potential to cost Phil money in the future, I don't blame him from stopping someone from libeling him.

I honestly don't see how this is going to cost Phil any money - other than what he spends prosecuting.  His sponsors are going to drop him because some guy named "Fogroller" said some totally unfounded things about him on Yahoo?  I dont think so.

I am no lawyer and I haven't even read these comments but I really doubt Phil has a case here.  If he even finds the person, the most he can probably do is have his lawyers send some nasty letters and get the guy to stop.  Probably.  For now.

I am not a lawyer but I think you have to show real and actual damages to win a libel suit.  I think Phil will have a hard time convincing a jury that the golfing world is taking seriously the comments of somebody named Fogroller on Yahoo message boards.

Anyway, Phil - since I know you're reading this - I do not believe Fogroller at all.  You're all good with me (except could you please win soon? - I really would like to see that).

[newtogolf]

You don't know lawyers very well.  First, Phil's not looking to make money he's using the threat to get them to stop.  As for grounds, his wife is a cancer survivor, he is dealing with Psoriatic arthritis, lawyer will make the case that severe undo stress weakens the immunity system and makes them more susceptible to relapses.  There's the impact of the rumors on his kids and family, believe me it doesn't take much for a lawyer to find grounds to sue.

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

I honestly don't see how this is going to cost Phil any money - other than what he spends prosecuting.  His sponsors are going to drop him because some guy named "Fogroller" said some totally unfounded things about him on Yahoo?  I dont think so.

I am no lawyer and I haven't even read these comments but I really doubt Phil has a case here.  If he even finds the person, the most he can probably do is have his lawyers send some nasty letters and get the guy to stop.  Probably.  For now.

I am not a lawyer but I think you have to show real and actual damages to win a libel suit.  I think Phil will have a hard time convincing a jury that the golfing world is taking seriously the comments of somebody named Fogroller on Yahoo message boards.

Anyway, Phil - since I know you're reading this - I do not believe Fogroller at all.  You're all good with me (except could you please win soon? - I really would like to see that).

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

It will also have a freezing effect on other yo-yos.

You can't be serious.  Attempting to sue every single internet bozo is a game that no celebrity should attempt.  The world is full of morons, and the internet is their mask.

I don't feel like reading about this particular case, but I can understand if a person on the internet is truly revealing personal information that isn't already public knowledge, but aside from that, if random internet folk are spewing fake rumors based on nothing more than hate, he shouldn't be concerned with it at all.  For every person that is stopped, another 10 will take their place.

Brandon

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

You don't know lawyers very well.  First, Phil's not looking to make money he's using the threat to get them to stop.  As for grounds, his wife is a cancer survivor, he is dealing with Psoriatic arthritis, lawyer will make the case that severe undo stress weakens the immunity system and makes them more susceptible to relapses.  There's the impact of the rumors on his kids and family, believe me it doesn't take much for a lawyer to find grounds to sue.

It wouldn't matter.  Making one guy stop won't stop him from creating more accounts, using IP spoofing tactics, and creating proxy sites to log in and post from.

Brandon