| I'm not sure, but I think there needs to be something that can hold such people to account when they embark upon a very well funded political and legal campaign to undermine democracy as they did, slinging mud in every possible direction and making up all sorts of heinous crap. In this case a business has been materially harmed by her actions, actions which cannot have been taken in good faith (I realise we're straying into the territory of my opinions here). I think at the very least she should lose her license to practice law, and should forfeit any money made from her campaign of disinformation. She effectively weaponised her standing as a lawyer to sway public opinion, where she failed to make any progress in court. I also think there's a difference when someone like Powell does this, in association with a political candidate, and when some whackaloon blogger makes claims. > How would you tackle this problem? I'll agree it's tough, and that's one great reason I'm not a legislator :) I think there needs to be more emphasis on "loser pays" in the US. From what I understand that's quite rare. I agree that can often have unintended side effects, which is why I don't think it should be applied blanket-fashion (and why I think the "costs set at £1" rulings in UK law are a good thing). But a generic solution? No idea. Perhaps the 'right' laws in this area don't exist yet, and it's quite hard to see what they might be. |