[LA_Banker]

>and in fact was illegal for a long time

Yeah, no. NYTimes v. Sullivan determined that public figures sacrifice a good deal of their privacy when they when they enter the public sphere. For instance, the same such video of, say, a governor would certainly be newsworthy. Where it's unclear is to what degree is Hogan a public figure and whether the actual publishing of it, as opposed to just reporting on it, is constitutes newsworthiness.

In terms of lawsuit financing, it's perfectly legal. There's an entire industry devoted to third-party lawsuit financing – otherwise, poor victims of car attacks (or other consequences which injured their ability to work and earn) wouldn't be able to pursue personal injury claims.

Without it, only those with means could pursue legal recourse.

[jedberg]

I was saying that funding other people's lawsuits was illegal for a long time.

[LA_Banker]

My mistake, I misread. I edited my post to address this.