Courtney Love Pays $430K In Twitter Defamation Suit

by Verena von Pfetten | 9:32 am, March 4th, 2011

Courtney Love has been ordered to pay a $430,000 settlement after designer Dawn Simorangkir accused the singer of defamation via Twitter.

Simorangkir and Love met in February 2009 to discuss some custom clothing designs from her label Boudoir Queen. A month or so later, the designer started complaining that Love owed her a few thousand dollars in payment. Instead of, well, paying her, Love took to her Twitter account, where she called Simorangkir (in so many words) “a drug-pushing prostitute with a history of assault and battery who lost custody of her own child and capitalized on Love’s fame before stealing from her.” Love also posted on her MySpace and in the comments of online boutiques like Etsy where Simorangkir’s items were sold. And in March 2009, Simorangkir sued Love for defamation.

On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that the case had finally been settled — and publicly at that.

Freedman confirmed that a settlement had been reached, and said Love’s attorneys had hoped to keep it confidential.

“In order to show the world the comments were derogatory and completely illegal, it was imperative to my client to have the settlement be public,” [Simorangkir's attorney] said.

The attorney said a public statement will be issued next week, but the nearly $430,000, plus interest, that Love is required to pay, reflects the seriousness of the case.

“Personally I think $430,000 is an appropriate way to say she’s sorry,” [he] said.

The case was considered the first case in which someone’s Tweets could be considered libel.

$430k settlement reached in Love Twitter lawsuit [Yahoo]
Designer Sues Courtney Love For Twitter Defamation [Styleite]

Courtney Love Dawn Simorangkir Lawsuit settlement Twitter

Anonymous

I’ve been on Twitter since 2007. I have to say that yeah Love should pay the designer for the worth of the clothes… but that’s it. I don’t think defamation charges should stand via Twitter. Twitter is OPINION-based, freedom of speech, yadda yadda. If tweets are factual or something… then yeah maybe it would qualify for defamation, or something. But it’s not like Love had some press conference to defame the designer. Come on, it was on TWITTER. Ugh, this case’s resolution kinda upsets me.
Chassecat

It wasn’t just Twitter, it was also on Etsy, where the designer’s creations were sold. You speak poorly of a designer and her creations on/at her place of business or where her other potential and current customers can read/see/hear them, and that’s messing with the designer’s livelihood and ability to put food on the table. Love has done this to multiple online vendors, as well, who have been trying to pursue the same type of legal action. It appears to be a habit of her’s.
Sage

If someone had defamed Love like that she would have been all over it. Love is famous, the designer is not, Love could have destroyed her career at this point. If Love had attacked another celeb it would not have been such a big deal. But she very publicly picked on someone who could not hope to get the same coverage to protect herself. It was not freedom of speech, it was a public attack and slander. The courts was the only defense this woman had against a celebrity. Twitter is the same as a press conference for a celeb, what they say there gets printed world wide in magazines and newspapers. It is only small potatoes for people without celebrity.

Courtney Love Pays $430K In Twitter Defamation Suit

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