Thread by @doctorow

Earlier this year, a person disagreed with something I said on Twitter. They picked a fight with me about it I told them I thought they were wrong, and why, and that would have been the end of it if they hadn't threatened to sue me.

Even as they were continuing to pick fights with me on Twitter, they had their general counsel send me a note telling me that I had to sit down with them and have them explain why I was wrong or they'd sue me.

Now, I've been sued by angry rich people who wanted me to stop criticizing them before. I won (thanks to California's powerful anti-SLAPP laws), but my insurer paid $60k just for the legal work to win the SLAPP claim.

In both cases, I knew that I was correct *and* that I was engaged in protected speech, but in both cases, it was a scary experience. Thankfully, I had help.

I reached out to Ken "@Popehat" White of Brown White & Osborn LLP and he took me on.

brownwhitelaw.com

Ken did this for lots of reasons; he's a staunch free-expression advocate and an enemy of bullies, and he's also *very* good at it.

He sent my bully's in-house lawyer a very stiff note telling him that he was on the case, explaining that my speech was legally protected, and reminding him that if this went to trial and he won a SLAPP motion, he could get his fees back.

The in-house lawyer fired back a response saying that he was referring the case to a $1,300/hour white shoe corporate firm:

https://twitter.com/Popehat/status/1527316261784260608

I asked Ken if I should be worried. He told me that this was a transparent and shopworn intimidation technique: "It doesn't matter how expensive they are, the law is the law."

Sure enough, in short order they called Ken and made it clear there would be no lawsuit:

Bullies: 0
Popehat: 1

I know a *lot* of lawyers; it comes with the territory when you spend 20 years working for an impact litigation nonprofit. Ken is a Very Good Lawyer. I hope I never end up needing his services again, but if I do, I'm very glad I know where to find him.