I hope I don’t get named as a defendant

Posted by Marc Hodak on August 15, 2007 under Unintended consequences | Read the First Comment

One of Rutger’s nappy headed hos has filed a lawsuit against Imus.

“This is a lawsuit in order to restore the good name and reputation of my client, Kia Vaughn,” said her attorney, Richard Ancowitz, exclusively to the ABC News Law & Justice Unit.

“Don Imus referred to my client as an unchaste woman. That was and is a lie.”

In my book, this places Richard Ancowitz way high on the list to win the prize for biggest Damn Instigator of Community Kaka.

His suit will have some shred of credibility if he can summon one, just one, witness who heard Imus’s remarks and concluded, “Oh, the Rutgers women’s basketball team must consist primarily of prostitutes.” Of course, anyone who would testify such a thing should be easy to impeach as a witness on the grounds that some people are truly too stupid to be allowed to speak in public.

Vaughn’s lawyer said that some of the money from any damages awarded in the lawsuit “would be used to create a scholarship program to study the effects of bigoted and misogynistic speech on society.” I would like to use my winnings from this frivolous suit to study the chilling effect on speech of giving some government agent the right to determine which comments might be construed as bigoted or misogynistic, and what penalties one might suffer for actually having a sense of humor, even if in poor taste.

I would also like to study the incentives of trial lawyers who can talk an otherwise sympathetic college student-athlete into launching a suit guaranteed to bring ridicule and questions about her sanity before the public. Didn’t your lawyer tell you, Ms.Vaughn, that most people, including Imus listeners, already love you and respect you for your talent and grace, and that this suit can only reduce the public’s regard for you on every count?