Judge upholds verdict in ex-cheerleader’s case
Aug 12, 2013, 6:19 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A federal judge has upheld a $338,000 verdict against the website thedirty.com, saying the operator of the site “played a significant role” in developing the content that libeled a former Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleader.
U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman on Monday concluded that the site and its founder, Hooman Karamian, are not exempt from responsibility for what is posted under the federal Communications Decency Act.
High school teacher Sarah Jones of Kentucky sued Karamian, who also goes by the name Nik Ritchie, over a post on the site in 2009 in which she was accused of having a sexually transmitted disease.
Jones later pleaded guilty to having sex with her 17-year-old former student while working at a northern Kentucky high school. The two have since said they will get married.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
