Skip to main content

Judge allows James Woods to sue his anonymous Twitter abuser

james woods twitter troll legal battle
The Internet makes many feel like they are untouchable. And sharing the same social networks with celebrities and public figures gives us unprecedented access to them. Some users, however, misuse the likes of Twitter and Facebook to attack and abuse people they’ve never even met.

An ongoing legal dispute between actor James Woods and a pseudonymous Twitter user could change all that by removing the shield of anonymity that online trolls hide behind.

The Oscar-nominated star of Salvador and The Hard Way is currently pursuing a defamation lawsuit against a Twitter user who Woods claims has been calling him a “cocaine addict.”

Woods did not take kindly to the comment. Not only does the actor want to expose his abuser’s identity, he is also also seeking $10 million worth of damages.

The accused — who has thus far maintained his anonymity by sending a lawyer to court on his behalf — goes by the name of Abe List (@abelisted) online, reports The New York Times. Meanwhile, Twitter has declined to identify the individual to Woods’ lawyers on the basis of the First Amendment.

That could all potentially change now that presiding Judge Mel Recana has denied a motion filed by Abe List’s lawyers this week to strike the case. Consequently, Woods now has the go-ahead to continue with the lawsuit against Abe List with a view to unmasking his identity.

Woods himself is an extremely outspoken Twitter user, often using the platform to disseminate his conservative views on topics ranging from Barack Obama to Planned Parenthood.

Woods’ statements concerning the latter were central to the statement that kicked off the dispute between the two parties. Back in July 2015, Woods tweeted: “USATODAY app features Bruce Jenner’s latest dress selection, but makes zero mention of Planned Parenthood baby parts market.” To which List reportedly replied: “cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting.”

List’s tweeted response is now pivotal to the case. Woods’ lawyers have submitted a declaration from a linguistics professor at the University of Southern California who determined that most readers of “cocaine addict” would understand and interpret it to be a factual statement. Despite claims to the contrary from List’s attorneys — who insist that the tweet in question was not “meant to be taken literally” — the latest motion means that the defamation lawsuit can continue unabated.

In an ironic turn of events, List has set his Twitter account to private fearing online abuse as a result of the highly publicized case. Reports indicate that List is a Harvard-educated partner at an L.A.-based private equity firm.

“The cruelty of having one’s reputation sullied by an anonymous coward is agonizing,” Mr. Woods said in a statement provided by his lawyer. “Twitter users beware: You are not above the law.”

Editors' Recommendations

Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
Twitter’s new ‘Safety Center’ is a hub for its anti-abuse tools, and more
twitter job cuts q3 2016 version 1477340647 pew news source

Dick Costolo's not steering Twitter anymore, but when the former CEO said earlier this year that the service "sucked at dealing with abuse," he set in motion a series of long overdue changes aimed at making it suck a whole lot less when it came to trolls, harassers, and other unsavory types who plague the microblogging site.

The latest resource, announced Monday, is the Safety Center, a hub that essentially pulls together Twitter's growing list of anti-troll features while at the same time offering tips and advice on how best to handle online abusers.

Read more
Twitter throws major shade at 50 Shades author E.L. James in Twitter Q&A
EL James

The Internet, its relative anonymity, and apparent promise of impunity, is always a breeding ground for more-aggressive-than-normal behavior, and the #AskELJames session on Twitter was no exception to the rule. She may have landed herself a movie deal, but despite the relative commercial success of the 50 Shades of Grey franchise, E.L. James learned the hard way on Twitter that critics are often louder (and more conspicuous) than fans.

In what may have been the worst PR mistake of 2015, E.L. James decided to participate in a Twitter question-and-answer session, which ended in tweets filled with more shade than James’ entire trilogy. With many accusations regarding her oft-perceived glorification of abusive relationships and misrepresentation of BDSM culture, the gloves came flying off on Twitter in a setup that was 50 shades of yikes.

Read more
Twitter hopes new ‘quality filter’ will help hide abusive tweets
twitter files trademark subtweet icon

Ever since last month when the world learned that Twitter CEO Dick Costolo really didn't have a high opinion of the way the company dealt with abuse on the platform, his team has been rolling out update after update in a bid to improve the situation.

The latest change arrives as part of an iOS app update rolled out Monday. Spotted by tech entrepreneur Anil Dash, 'quality filtering' aims to "remove all tweets from your notifications timeline that contain threats, offensive or abusive language, duplicate content, or are sent from suspicious accounts."
Well, that's an interesting & welcome addition, Twitter! (Was prompted about this on opening the app.) pic.twitter.com/Ka2VDvqwNf

Read more