A San Francisco defamation case, Marianne Bachers v. Does 1 to 20, has been settled out of court with the plaintiff withdrawing her case in return for a webmaster's clarification.

Although no case law or future reference can be found from this case, it does however have an impact on free speech and Cyber-SLAPPs. The case shows how in certain states of America it is still possible to use defamation action to uncover critics and also to harass or intimidate those that speak out against others.

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After a landmark libel case in which a woman had to pay damages of £10,000 for defamatory comments in a internet chatroom, it is feared that simliar lawsuits will be brought against other chatroom users.

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