Updated: Rakofsky: Is Internet Mobbing A Tort?

Welcome: I'm the "deep and progressive thinker" you linked to. I also have a pony tail. And, what's worst of all, I think Rakofsky's claims are pretty interesting. But then again, I turned my card in to the guildmasters on the blawgosphere long ago.
Joseph Rakofsky made a little money this week, accepting $5,000 from the University of St. Thomas Law School and Deborah Hackerson as settlement of a claim he brought against them for defamation. Some 70-plus defendants remain in the suit, referred to by some, including me, as Rakofsky v. The Internet, with most defendants apparently...
August 6, 2011

Deleted

Deleted
August 2, 2011

Giffords Votes. Congress Chokes. The Rich Get Richer

We were supposed to forget about our sorrows at the sight of Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, on the house floor, preparing to cast her vote, one of the last needed, on the House approval of the new deficit-reduction plan. Never mind she was shot in the head and left for dead in Tuscon in January. Never mind that she is still recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Never mind that we advertised to the world we were ready, willing and able to default on our obligation to pay our federal debts. Gabby had all but risen from the dead to help slash government spending: the Tea Party welcomed her...
August 2, 2011

Let Komisarjevsky Speak

It has been open season on Joshua Komisarjevsky since the day he was arrested in July 2007, and for good reason: There is little doubt that he slaughtered a mother and her two daughters in their home. He also beat the man of the house, Dr. William Petit, Jr., senseless. It is no wonder that many want to kill the killer. It was a savage crime.
At least one book has been written about the case. Dr. Petit has opined at great length about the evil of it all, even appearing for a national audience on the Oprah Winfrey show. And when lawmakers in Connecticut sought to repeal the death...
July 31, 2011

Kissing A Killer

July 29, 2011
He sat across the courtroom from me, next to a phalanx of new lawyers. I was on the witness stand, answering questions about a case I had handled...

Why Are We Afraid Of Speedy Trials?

July 28, 2011
Each year, as predictable as the change of seasons, a few clients charged with crimes fire me: they believe I am doing nothing for them. They are...

Asking Why? Then Nullify

July 27, 2011
When you lose a job and fall behind on your mortgage payment you get a foreclosure notice. It might not matter that the bank seeking to take your...

Why Not Disband SEBAC?

July 23, 2011
“Oh, Dannel Boy, your lips they move so sweetly;
They sing soft lies,
The sort that kill.
Oh, Dannel Boy, your lips seduced...

Class War Divides Connecticut Unions

July 21, 2011
Welcome to the new Connecticut, a land of haves, and have nots. The new class struggle is evident now even among the ranks of state employees. Older...

Clarence Darrow: A Real Lawyer Struggling Against Currents and Insolvency

July 19, 2011
Clarence Darrow is the sort of icon whose status guarantees that new biographies will be produced about him from time to time. Although dead now...

Visit His Websites

Pattis & Smith Law Firm
Norman Pattis
RSS Feed
Become a patron

Press Videos

Books

Taking Back the Courts
Norm Pattis Taking Back the Courts

The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorites movies as a kid. Little did I know judges were so much like the wizard, hiding behind empty trappings of power. This book tells you things you need to know about what really goes on in court. Read it, weep, and then demand that the courts do better.

In the Trenches
Norm Pattis In the Trenches

Plenty of lawyers write about the law, but few who write try cases. Judge for yourself whether I talk the talk and walk the walk in this collection of occasional essays about life in the law's trenches.

Juries and Justice
Norm Pattis Juries and Justice

How prepared are you to take seriously the notion that 'we the people' are, in fact, sovereign? Discover the secret, and unused, power of jurors. 'Ask why; then nullify.'

Norm Pattis

About Norm

Norm Pattis is a Connecticut based trial lawyer focused on high stakes criminal cases and civil right violations. He is a veteran of more than 150 jury trials, many resulting in acquittals for people charged with serious crimes, multi-million dollar civil rights and discrimination verdicts, and scores of cases favorably settled.

© Norm Pattis is represented by Elite Lawyer Management, managing agents for Exceptional American Lawyers
Media & Speaker booking [hidden email]