If I Follow My Passion Will I Get Sued?

I don't think you should worry about it I mean I am not a lawyer but I wouldn't mind another one of these blogs. There are so many of them out there how could someone sew so many ppl?

If I were you, I wouldn't even bother with it.

There are other things out there you can make even more money with. I just simply wouldn't risk my reputation or potential lawsuits.

Jake

I wouldn't worry too much about it. You are wantint to start an "opinionated blog" which is done by a lot of people. Namely Perez Hilton. And a few others who Vlog about the same things are Phillip DeFranco and Buck Hollywood. You'll be fine. If you enjoy writing it, have at it and good luck. Besides, its your 1st amendment right to do so as long as its not slander and its clearly an opinionated blog that is open for comments.

General rules of thumb about defamation:

Stating false facts about someone can get you into hot water.

Having an opinion about someone will not.

Public figures have higher burdens to also show intentional malice or acting with reckless disregard for the truth.

Tiffany,
I have absolutely no idea about the legalities but I think you would be great at doing that type of blog. Let us know. Want to read it.
Linda Kate

**I have also been considering doing a kind of "tongue in cheek, sarcastic humor" fun blog that I wonder about crossing lines.

Tiffany,

I get the uneasy feeling that the rants you have bottled up inside are likely going to be directed at me! I have therefore taken the liberty of filing suit a priori in court for damages that might be incurred. The judgment just came down in my behalf only moments ago as shown below.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Michael McMillan, referred to as PLAINTIFF, and Tiffany Dow, referred to as DEFENDANT, agree:

The parties have been engaged in litigation before the 3rd District Court of Outer Mongolia, Case Number 459UT775N, styled Michael McMillan vs. Tiffany Dow.

On Feb. 27, 2010 the Court rendered a decision in the matter of Ms. Dow's intent to publish slanderous and defamatory representations of Mr. McMillan, his products, his parent company, subsidiaries, holding companies and stockholders. The parties desire by this agreement to reach a final and complete settlement of the dispute.

All parties hereto waive the right to file any Motions or other legal process to request that the judgment be modified, vacated or appealed in any way.

In full and complete settlement of the disputes litigated and which could have been litigated, the following settlement shall occur:

CASH AWARD TO PLAINTIFF (Mr. McMillan) OF $22,000,000.

Said settlement shall be consummated no later than March 1, 2011.

(Tiff, I'll take cash, check, Denny's food card or payment in the form of $1 gift certificates to Taco Bell.)
.
.
.
Wait! Stop! Don't file a counter suit Tiff! Just kidding .
Still, a taco bell gift book might make me reconsider taking such action in the future !

--Mike

Hey Tiffany:

First rule of things like this is always to get the opinion of an attorney (you know that already though).

Our opinions are just that; opinions.

Will you get sued? Yep. Especially if your site takes off and becomes popular, count on it.

Even if they don't have any grounds to stand on, suing is a solid way to stop people from having opinions. Lawyers cost money - even to win.

If your site is not too popular, you have only 3 readers, likely not going to be an issue.

----------

Legal documents and HOW you state things is very critical here...

Saying "Steve Odette IS fat..." is not the same as saying "In my opinion, Steve Odette is fat."

If opinions could get you sued, comedians would all be out of a job.

If you have facts... double, triple and quadruple verify them and always use the references to your sources.

For example: "The Wall Street Journal, 2/27/2011 stated on page 3, paragraph 14 under Steve Odette - brilliant marketer... "Steve Odette is PHAT, and in our research, we find this to be true."

I think you can find some software that will reseach news sources for you and pull up actual quotes from reputable sources.

Also, don't just use an AKA or pseudonymn for your name - get incorporated... at least have a two member or more LLC setup (again, get an attorney to determine what kind of entity would be best and would offer you the best protection legally).

People sue for several reasons: to shut you up, shut you down, get paid, make a point, get publicity, destroy your business, etc.

Suing a corporation is a LOT less appealing to attorneys because winning, in many circumstances, means an immediate tax liability on the winnings and a delayed (charging order) result in getting any actual benefits.

Plus, corporate veils keep personal assets (when done correctly) out of harms direct line of fire.

I'd say go for it... have a blast, just get the pieces in place first and know what you are doing.

Posting pictures of people that are not copyrighted is legal... quoting them is legal... using courthouse documents and public documents is legal... getting verified sources is just intelligent, using quantifiable data is preferred.

And... saying an opinion is an opinion (with the correct legal documents to also state that anything on your sites is an opinion) is just smart business.

Once you get all of the pieces in place... Roast Away!

**NOTE: I bet you can also find a good source for jounalism legal issues or legal considerations for journalists, etc. in your favorite search engine that would give you some great insights here as well.

Howard Stern has made Millions doing this....

For opinions you do not need to worry, however again I am not a lawyer but start a LLC or Corporation for the Blog and then only the entity can get sued

hello,

You can not get sewed because if they did they would have to sew everybody that has ever made a site/page like that. I think if it is something you are passionate about and it drives you that you should pursue it and you will get very far. (hope this helps)

Opinion is fine but it must stop before you actually slander someone. Also, personages in the public arena are all fair game; however that is not the same for private citizens. Makes these distinctions and you'll be fine.

Hi Tiffany,

You can put anything within reason but I advise you to add to your disclaimer that what you write is personal opinion.

In the US you are very heavily protected in regard to what you write, and just look at your local gossip rag to see how far that limit extends. The right to free speech is just an opening to your defense when you are talking about news sites.

As to your images, I suggest AP here AP Photo Services | The Associated Press

Regards,
Colin Palfrey

If you start talking smack about famous rich people then you will get sued.

National Enquier has been lying about folks for more years than Ive been born ....LOL

I wouldn't worry.
Freedom of speech!

Keep it reasonable and maybe a disclaimer tho.

I'm not an expert in field, but I would advise you to get royalty free pictures of celebrities that may cost a couple of dollars on authority image sites that sell pictures. As far as content goes, you can pretty much wright anything you want as long as what you say is real. So yea, I think gossiping shouldn't get you in trouble.

Make it a comedy or a parody, and you'll be fine. Just look how far South Park or Simpsons can go. Not to mention late night shows. Or the fun everyone has with Sheen now. I believe, there are also some different rules when it comes to use of copyrighted material for comedy/parody purposes (triple check this though).
Also keep in mind, that opinions are protected by the freedom of speech. Even hate speech is protected to some degree.
I have mixed feelings from seeing how people are becoming timid and "in line" with their opinions in fear to be sued. Looks like the "money" wins. I blame the system - if the losing party had to pay for all court expenses, people would think twice about suing and having the money would matter much less. But if wining can leave you bankrupt the same as losing, people are afraid and just play it too safe. Or don't play at all, just in case. OK, enough of politics.
Good luck.

There are plenty of blogs of this type online. You can say anything that you want because its your opinion and you can provide a disclaimer at the bottom of the blog for legal purposes. If someone were going to sue you over this blog then all of the people who comment and say terrible things via yahoo news would be able to be sued. Don't worry about it. Just put a disclaimer up.

I think the most successful blogger of this type of news is Perez Hilton. I believe he was in hot water at one time, but it was for using unlicensed images.

I would say go for it. Stating your opinion is part of our first amendment right. Yes there are some things you can't say, but as long as you stick to your opinion you should be just fine.

It's a sue-happy world these days, so don't take that as the gospel truth. Opinion pieces have been around for a really long time. Go for it!

Take no prisoners!
If you need any help bashing celebrities, let me know, I'd love to take a shot at Britney Spears...
My number is 555-BASHASTAR

Heck, I'd even go 12 rounds with the chick who said the F word in the Oscars...

If someone is offended, they could sue. Even if you are "allowed" to say what you've said, doesn't mean they can't or won't sue you.

A few years ago I was hit with a lawsuit. I knew they had no case against me, and they ended up just dropping the suit, HOWEVER it was after I had shelled out a few thousand dollars of my money in legal fees!