Blogger May Get CEO to Pay Legal Bills in Defamation Suit (1)

A blogger facing a defamation suit by a tech CEO he called a “con man” online may be entitled to attorneys’ fees under New Jersey law if he successfully defeats the claim in federal court, a federal judge said on an issue of first impression.

Though New Jersey’s anti-SLAPP statute doesn’t generally apply in federal court, its fee-shifting provision doesn’t conflict with federal law and therefore may be applied if Dahn Shaulis successfully wards off claims by Chip Paucek and his company Pro Athlete Community Inc., Judge Renée Marie Bumb said Tuesday for the US District Court for the District ...