Somebody threatened to sue me today. Well, he said he wouldn’t, but that he could, which of course isn’t actually true. He claimed that my referring to him in a semi-private forum as a dipshit was slander (or libel).

Well, guess what? It’s not! First of all, I didn’t use his real name because I don’t even know it. Secondly, calling someone a dipshit is opinion, and that’s not something you can sue someone over. I’m free to hold any opinions I want of anyone I want. It’s only slander/libel when and if a statement is “injurious to a person’s good name or reputation” and since I didn’t use his name, it can’t apply. There are other legal technicalities, as well, such as you have to have presented as fact something untrue such as saying they committed a crime (and it’s not a crime to be a dipshit), and you have to be in a position to present the statements with some weight (such as being a newspaper or similar source).

So, hey, he’s welcome to have his lawyer contact me. I still think he’s a dipshit.

And, yes, I fell off the wagon of avoiding unnecessary pissing matches, I’m sorry to say. Every time that happens, I end up regretting it. Not necessarily that I regret my opinion (in fact, his lawsuit nonsense just reinforced it for me, as he’s just demonstrated that he really doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about), but I do regret having entered into the fray of a pointless argument.

Ah, well. I’ll just get back on the wagon and try to avoid that sort of thing. I’m always happier when I do.

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