I'm wondering if they're afraid of legal action if they take a harder line.
What could Frenkel threaten to sue Wiscon for, defamation of character? I hope that's not it; first of all, it's noise rather than signal, and secondly I can't imagine it would hold up in court. The key thing about slander and libel—legally defined as such—is that they have to be false. If it came to proving that the Wiscon community views the continuing presence and participation of Jim Frenkel as a threat, I think the exodus we're seeing right now could serve as Exhibit A.
I'm thinking also of the recent case in Somerville where a known creeper with a history of harassing, stalking, and all-round sketchy behavior brought a civil suit against the members of the Davis Square LJ, claiming they had ruined his life by outing him as a missing stair; it was incredibly stressful and disruptive to the community while it lasted, but the case was eventually dismissed with prejudice. There is no law that a community has to protect and tolerate its predators.
no subject
What could Frenkel threaten to sue Wiscon for, defamation of character? I hope that's not it; first of all, it's noise rather than signal, and secondly I can't imagine it would hold up in court. The key thing about slander and libel—legally defined as such—is that they have to be false. If it came to proving that the Wiscon community views the continuing presence and participation of Jim Frenkel as a threat, I think the exodus we're seeing right now could serve as Exhibit A.
I'm thinking also of the recent case in Somerville where a known creeper with a history of harassing, stalking, and all-round sketchy behavior brought a civil suit against the members of the Davis Square LJ, claiming they had ruined his life by outing him as a missing stair; it was incredibly stressful and disruptive to the community while it lasted, but the case was eventually dismissed with prejudice. There is no law that a community has to protect and tolerate its predators.