Yale Daily News

Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 1:03 a.m.

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Law students reveal identity of AutoAdmit defendant in new complaint

Staff Reporter
Published Thursday, August 7, 2008

Two female Yale Law School students who were smeared on the Web forum AutoAdmit in 2005 finally know whom they’re suing for defamation — more than a year after they first filed.

An amended complaint filed by the two women Tuesday named one defendant, Matthew C. Ryan, a senior math major at the University of Texas, Austin. The other 38 commenters being sued retained their pseudonyms.

Several more of those commenters have also been unmasked, said Mark Lemley, a Stanford law professor who is representing the two Yale students. Lemley said he is negotiating with the others to...

#1 By Bob 12:33p.m. on August 7, 2008

If you're posting his name, you should be posting theirs too.

#2 By (Anonymous) 7:38p.m. on August 7, 2008

Agreed. There is no reasonable reason to maintain their anonymity. They are defendants in a case filed in Pennsylvania. Everyone knows the names. This is just playing into the litigation public relations strategy that they have employed.

#3 By (Anonymous) 9:41a.m. on August 8, 2008

Ditto. I understand the rationale, but this isn't a rape case, guys.

#4 By :D 1:53p.m. on August 8, 2008

Trace this? Am I being sarcastic enough to be sued?

Grow up.

#5 By HD 1:07a.m. on August 9, 2008

Glad that douchebags cannot hide behind cyberspace and malign individuals without repercussions. I hope they sue his/their pants off. The next step: bringing down Juicycampus.
-HD

#6 By Bob 8:18a.m. on August 11, 2008

Funny, I Googled, and I can't find evidence of a single individual with the legal name HD.

#7 By Anonymous 3:28p.m. on August 16, 2008

#6: Indeed, very interesting that an individual writes anonymously to express disapproval of anonymous Internet speech. One could even think that this is hypocritical.

#8 By Bob 12:39p.m. on August 17, 2008

Once could, couldn't one.

#9 By HD 9:22p.m. on August 17, 2008

Surely, if I were slandering someone then my actions are reprehensible, and therefore every effort should be made to track me down. I am not opposed to anonymous postings, but am in favor of exposing individuals who malign others (identifying them over the internet).
-HD

#10 By HD 9:28p.m. on August 17, 2008

If I slander another individual, then I should be held accountable. Every effort should be made to track me down and punish me for my malicious comments---whether by exposing me on the internet with my name and credentials or monetairly. In essence, an analogy can be made to that of the interaction between patient and physician. The physican has to maintain confidentiality, unless the individual will harm someone else (i.e plan to murder someone or not disclose his/her STD status to their partner and continues to have unprotected sex). I feel the same way about internet. A physician has to make the judgement call. :)
-HD

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