According to various online sources and media outlets, Courtney Love has settled (or is close to settling) the Twitter lawsuit brought against her by Dawn Simorangkir. The trial was supposed to start tomorrow, and according to Amanda Bronstad at the National Law Journal, it was going to be broadcasted live. Love was reportedly going to defend the case claiming that the Twitter comments were just opinion or hyperbole. I categorized this as the "it was just a Tweet" defense.
If the facts that have been reported are accurate, Love’s decision to go for a settlement was probably a good one. Love’s defense was not likely to succeed. She didn’t make isolated rambling comments. There appeared to be intent to harm Simorangkir’s reputation in business with the comments. In Connecticut, this may have amounted to defamation per se, trade libel, or commercial disparagement.
Given the nature of the comments, Simorangkir might have been entitled to a damages award even if she could not show a loss of business. Simorangkir’s lawyer said Love "embarked in what is nothing short of an obsessive and delusional crusade to terrorize and destroy." If true, the case goes beyond a simple Tweet or personal opinion.
The Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn universe was waiting to see what a jury would say about social media and defamation. Unfortunately, if the settlement is final, we now have to wait for the next big Twitter defamation case. It will not take long.