Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted James W

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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Sat Feb 25, 2017 6:32 am

Popehat v. James Woods SLAPP-down Match; Coming Soon To A Court Near You
from the can-i-get-front-row-seats? dept
by Mike Masnick
Techdirt
August 28, 2015

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A month ago, we wrote about actor James Woods bizarrely suing a trollish Twitter user who had been mocking Woods on the site. The whole lawsuit seemed ridiculous. The specific tweet that sent Woods over the edge was this anonymous user (who went by the name "Abe List") saying "cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting." Soon after our post on the subject, Ken "Popehat" White posted an even better takedown entitled James Woods Punches the Muppet. That post has now been updated with a brief note that White has now been retained to defend the anonymous Twitter user. And, if that gets you excited for what to expect in the legal filings, well, you don't have wait. As first reported by Eriq Gardner at the Hollywood Reporter, White has filed the John Doe's opposition to Woods' attempt to unmask the guy. And it's worth reading.

Problem number one with Woods' suit is laid out right at the beginning of the filing, which is that Woods himself has a habit of accusing others of using illegal drugs as well, just as Abe List did:

Image

The filing shows other tweets from Woods that have similar words that Woods complained about Abe List using, such as "clown" and "scum." As the filing notes, it appears Woods thinks that he can use those insults towards others, but if anyone uses them towards him, it's somehow defamatory.

Plaintiff, an internationally known actor, is active on Twitter, a social media platform. There he is known for engaging in rough-and-tumble political debate. Plaintiff routinely employs insults like “clown” and “scum,” and even accuses others of drug use as a rhetorical trope....

But Plaintiff apparently believes that while he can say that sort of thing to others, others cannot say it to him. He has sued Mr. Doe for a derisive tweet referring to him as “cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting” in the course of political back-and forth.... He also complains, at length, that Mr. Doe has called him things like a “clown” and “scum.” Naturally, Plaintiff has himself called others “clown” or “scum” on Twitter.


The filing, quite reasonably, notes that these kinds of hyperbolic claims cannot be seen as defamatory, and since there's no legitimate claim here, there is no reason to do expedited discovery or to unmask Abe List, who is entitled to have his identity protected under the First Amendment.

Oh, and, not surprisingly, White will be filing an anti-SLAPP motion shortly, which may mean that Woods is going to have to pay for this mess that he caused.

The filing also notes that while Woods sent a subpoena to Twitter to try to seek Abe List's identity, the company turned it down as deficient. The full two page letter is in the filing below as Exhibit B, but a quick snippet on the First Amendment concerns:

First, Twitter objects because you have provided no documentation showing that the Court considered and imposed the First Amendment safeguards required before a litigant may be permitted to unmask the identity of an anonymous speaker. As courts have recognized, a trial court must strike a balance "between the well-established First Amendment right to speak anonymously, and the right of the plaintiff to protects its proprietary interests and reputation through the assertion of recognizable claims based on the actionable conduct of the anonymous, fictitiously-named defendants." Dendrite Int'l, Inc. v. Doe No. 3,775 A.2d 756, 760 (N.J. Super. A.D. 2001). Accordingly, before a service provider such as Twitter may be compelled to unmask an anonymous speaker, (1) a reasonable attempt to notify the user of the request and the lawsuit must be made, and (2) the plaintiff must make a prima facie showing of the elements of defamation. See Krinsky v. Doe, 72 Cal. Rptr. 3d 231, 239, 244-46 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008). Moreover, under California law, the party seeking discovery must demonstrate "a compelling need for discovery" that "outweigh[s] the privacy right when these two competing interests are carefully balanced." Digital Music News LLC v. Superior court of Los Angeles, 226 Cal. App. 4th 216, 229 (2014) (citing Lantz v. Superior court, 28 Cal. App. 4th 1839, 1853-54 (1994).

It does not appear that you will be able to meet these standards. The speech at issue appears to be opinion and hyperbole rather than a statement of fact. Further, the target of the speech is a public figure who purposefully injects himself into public controversies, and there has been no showing of actual malice. Attempts to unmask anonymous online speakers in the absence of a prima facie defamation claim are improper and would chill the First Amendment rights of speakers who use Twitter's platform to express their thoughts and ideas instantly and publicly, without barriers.


Meanwhile, Woods has already filed a response in which he is still seeking to uncover the name of Abe List, and which repeats more ridiculous claims about the whole thing, starting off with the simply false claim that the original "cocaine addict" tweet was likely seen by "hundreds of thousands" of Woods' followers. That's wrong. They would only see if they followed both Woods and the Abe List account, which very few did.

The filing, somewhat hilariously, claims that calling someone "a joke," "ridiculous," "scum" and "clown-boy" are not protected by the First Amendment. Which makes me wonder what law school Woods' lawyers went to. Because that's just wrong:

AL's outrageous claim appears to be the culmination of a malicious on-line campaign by AL to discredit and damage Woods' reputation, a campaign which began as early as December 2014. In the past, AL has referred to Woods with such derogatory terms as a "joke," "ridiculous," "scum" and "clown-boy." ... Although AL's rantings against Woods began with childish name calling, it has escalated beyond the protections of free speech, i.e., the First Amendment does not permit anyone to falsely represent to the public that another person is addicted to an illegal narcotic.


Um... but Woods himself did exactly that (see above). It's standard hyperbolic speech, which is clearly not defamatory especially when mocking a public figure like Woods who has a history of using the same sort of hyperbolic insults on Twitter. Even more ridiculously, Woods' lawyers claim that by saying that the statement was a joke, that's Abe List admitting that he knew it was a false statement. I can't see that argument flying. I can see it backfiring big time once the anti-SLAPP motion is made.

So, what about those similar tweets made by Woods himself? His lawyers tell the court to ignore those piddly things.

... to the extent AL or TG attempt to argue that the Court should consider other statements on their Twitter accounts, or any previous tweets by Mr. Woods, the argument is a red herring. First, there is no reason any of Mr. Woods' followers, all of whom were exposed to the defamatory statements, would even bother to investigate the speakers and/or their Twitter sites to determine if they were reliable sources. As to Mr. Woods, we are not aware of any false statements of fact made by Mr. Woods and his sometimes sharp commentary on political matters is irrelevant to the allegations here.


Except, uh, again, Woods suggested someone smoked crack, just like Abe List joked that Woods was a cocaine addict. And, again, Woods and his lawyers are just wrong that all of Woods' followers would have seen Abe Lists' tweets. They're just factually wrong.

You never know how courts will rule in any particular case, no matter how ridiculous, but I have a hard time seeing how Woods gets out of this without having to pay two sets of lawyers -- his own and Ken White -- for filing a clearly bogus defamation case designed to shut up (and identify) an anonymous Twitter critic. No matter what, James Woods may not be a cocaine addict, but he has made it clear that he can dish it out but can't take it back when people make fun of him. What a clown.
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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Sat Feb 25, 2017 9:41 am

Part 1 of 2

James Woods vs. John Doe: Notice of Motion and Motion for an Order Compelling Non-Party Kenneth P. White to Answer Deposition Questions and Produce Documents; and An Order for Sanctions Against Non-Party Kenneth P. White in the amount of $9,040.55
by James Woods

MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN (BAR NO. 155680)
LINDSAY MOLNAR, ESQ (BAR NO. 272156)
LAVELY & SINGER
PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
2049 Century Park East, Suite 2400
Los Angeles, California 90067-2906
Telephone: (310) 556-3501
Facsimile: (310) 556-3615
Email: mweinsten@lavelysinger.com
Imolnar@lavelysinger.com
Attorneys for Plaintiff JAMES WOODS
 
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

JAMES WOODS, an individual,
Plaintiff,
vs.
JOHN DOE a/k/a "Abe List" and DOES 2 through 10, inclusive,
Defendants.

Case No.: BC 589746

[Hon. Mel Recana, Dept. 45]

NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR: (1) AN ORDER COMPELLING NON-PARTY KENNETH P. WHITE TO ANSWER DEPOSITION QUESTIONS AND PRODUCE DOCUMENTS; AND (2) AN ORDER FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST NON-PARTY KENNETH P. WHITE IN THE AMOUNT OF $9,040.55

[Declaration of Michael E. Weinsten and Separate Statement filed concurrently herewith]

Date: December 22, 2016
Time: 8:35 a.m.
Dept: 45

Reservation ID: 161109172908

Complaint Filed: July 29, 2015
Trial Date: None

TO ALL PARTIES AND THEIR ATTORNEYS OF RECORD HEREIN:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on December 22, 2016, at 8:35 a.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard in Department 45 of the Los Angeles Superior Court, located at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, California 90012, Plaintiff James Woods ("Plaintiff") will, and hereby does, move the Court for an order compelling Non-Party Kenneth P. White ("White") to (1) provide substantive responses without objection to the questions asked during his deposition and (2) produce documents responsive to Plaintiff s deposition subpoena.

Plaintiff brings this motion to compel White's deposition testimony pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure § 2025.480(a). Plaintiff brings this motion after White refused, during his November 14, 2016 deposition, to answer any questions related to the actual identity of his client in this action - Defendant John Doe a/k/a "Abe List" - by improperly asserting the attorney-client privilege and other unfounded objections.

Plaintiff will also move the Court for an order compelling White to produce documents that he was required to produce pursuant to Plaintiff s deposition subpoena.

Plaintiff will also move the Court for an order that White pay to Plaintiff the sum of no less than $9,040.55 as the reasonable costs and attorney fees incurred by Plaintiff in connection with bringing the instant Motion and taking White's November 14, 2016 deposition.

This Motion is made and based upon this Notice, the accompanying Memorandum of Points and Authorities, the Separate Statement, the Declaration of Michael E. Weinsten and any exhibits attached thereto, the court's file herein, and any oral argument and other documentary evidence as may be Presented at the hearing.

Dated: November 30, 2016

LAVELY & SINGER
PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN
LINDSAY MOLNAR

By: MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN
Attorneys for Plaintiff JAMES WOODS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• I. INTRODUCTION
• II. STATEMENT OF RELEVANT FACTS
o A. AL's Unsuccessful Anti-SLAPP Motion
o B. White's Unsubstantiated Claim That AL Died During The Appeal of the Court's Anti-SLAPP Ruling
o C. White's Unfounded and Bad-Faith Refusal to Answer Basic Deposition Questions and Produce Documents Concerning the Identity of His Purportedly Deceased Client
• III. LEGAL ARGUMENT
o A. A Motion To Compel Is Proper Where A Deponent Refuses To Answer Questions During The Examination Or Produce Documents At Deposition
o B. The Court Should Compel White To Answer Deposition Questions Relating to the Identity of AL Since This Information is Neither Private Nor Privileged And Is Critical To Woods' Ability To Effectively Prosecute His Claims Against AL
o i. Because AL's Privacy Rights Died With Him, White CannotWithhold AL' s Identity On Privacy Grounds
o ii. AL's Identity and Information Related To His Identity Is Not Protected By The Attorney-Client Privilege
o iii. Information Related to the Identity of AL Is Highly Relevant And Critical For Woods' To Prosecute His Claims Against AL
o C. White's Claim That Woods Is Not Entitled to Information Related to the Identity of AL Due to Fear of "Harassment" or "Intimidation" Is Unfounded
• IV. WHITE'S FAILURE TO PROVIDE ANY JUSTIFICATION FOR HIS FAILURE TO ANSWER DEPOSITION QUESTIONS AND OR PRODUCE DOCUMENTS RESPONSIVE TO THE SUBPOENA WARRANTS AN AWARD OF MONETARY SANCTIONS AGAINST HIM
• V. CONCLUSION

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Cases

• 4 AF Holdings LLC v. Doe, No. 2: 12-CV-1066 GEB GGH, 2012 WL 6042635 (E.D. Cal. 2012)
• Baird v. Koerner, 279 F.2d 623 (9th Cir. 1960)
• Beverly Hills Nat. Bank & Trust Co. v. Superior Court In and For Los Angeles County, 195 Cal. App. 2d 861 (1961)
• Brunner v. Superior Court 0/ Orange Cty., 9 51 Cal.2d 616 (1959)
• Doe v. Kamehameha Schools etc., 596 F.3d 1036 (9th Cir. 2010)
• Flynn v. Higham, 149 Cal.App.3d 677 (1983)
• Hays v. Wood, 25 Cal.3d 772 (1979)
• Hendrickson v. California Newspapers, Inc., 48 Cal.App.3d 59 (1975)
• Kramer v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 17 237 Cal. App. 2d 753 (1965)
• Krinsky v. Doe 6, 159 Cal.App. 4th 1154 (2008)
• Lugosi v. Universal Pictures, 20 25 Cal.3d 813 (1979)
• Moran v. Superior Court in and/or Sacramento County, 38 Cal. App. 2d 328 (1940)
• Pers. v. Farmers Ins. Grp. of Companies, 52 Cal. App. 4th 813
• Rosso, Johnson, Rosso & Ebersold v. Superior Court, 25 191 Cal.App.3d 1514 (1987)
• 26 Tien v. Superior Court, 139 Cal.App.4th 528 (2006)
• United States v. Doe, 28 655 F.2d 920 (9th Cir. 1980)

Statutes

• Code of Civil Procedure § 1987.2(a)
• Code of Civil Procedure § 2023.030(a)
• Code of Civil Procedure § 2025.010
• Code of Civil Procedure § 2025.480(j)
• Evidence Code § 952
• Evidence Code § 954

MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES

I. INTRODUCTION


This case arises from the publication of a malicious and fabricated accusation leveled against actor James Woods ("Woods") by an individual who hid behind the Twitter name "Abe List" (hereafter "AL"). In July 2015, AL falsely accused Woods of being a "cocaine addict" on the widely popular social media site Twitter and, after Twitter refused to remove the libelous statement, Woods was forced to file suit for defamation and invasion of privacy by false light to protect his good name and reputation.

Rather than face Woods' claims on the merits, AL's modus operandi from the very beginning of this lawsuit has been to utilize various procedural roadblocks to conceal his identity from Woods and delay the prosecution of Woods' claims. For example, shortly after Woods filed the Complaint, AL filed a frivolous (and ultimately nnsuccessful) anti-SLAPP motion, which was clearly intended solely to prevent his identity from being disclosed. When Woods then sought to conduct discovery in connection his opposition of the anti-SLAPP motion, AL vehemently opposed the motion, claiming that Woods first had to prove his entire prima facie case against AL before discovering AL's identity.

After this Court denied AL's anti-SLAPP and rightly held that Woods had "met his burden of showing a probability of prevailing" on his claims, AL filed afrivolous appeal of this COUli's order, once again trying to block the disclosure of his identity and further delaying the prosecution of Woods' claims. Then, when it was finally time for AL to file his reply brief - after Woods had already incurred the time and expense of filing a 50-page Respondents' brief - AL's counsel, Kenneth P. White ("White"), filed a declaration with the appellate court (1) stating that his client had passed away, (2) indicating that AL's estate would be substituting into the matter, and (3) requesting an extension of time for the filing of AL's reply brief However, no substitution was ever made. Instead, weeks later, White suddenly filed a dismissal of the appeal - which resulted in this case being remanded back to the trial court.

Critically, although White claims that AL is deceased, he has refused to provide any evidence whatsoever substantiating this claim. Moreover, when Woods' counsel reasonably requested that White at least provide the identity of his now-purportedly-deceased client - a fact which would be necessary in order to confirm whether AL is actually deceased - White refused.

As a result of White's staunch refusal to provide evidence of AL's purported client's death, or even AL's name, Woods was forced to take White's deposition on November 14,2016. During this deposition, White still refused to disclose AL' s identity (or produce the relevant documents requested in the deposition subpoena), asserting the unfounded objections that such information is private, subject to the attorney-client privilege, not relevant to the claims in this lawsuit, and harassing. [1]

Obviously, White's objections are meritless and in bad faith. First and foremost, AL's right to privacy died along with him and, in any event, White cannot assert this right on his deceased client's behalf. See Lugosi v. Universal Pictures, 25 Cal.3d 813,820,833 (1979) (dissenting Justices agreeing with majority that: "It is not disputed that the right of privacy is a personal one, which is not assignable and ceases with an individual's death.") (emphasis added). Second, AL's identity and information related to his identity are not subject to the attorney-client privilege - as these are merely facts, not communications. See Hays v. Wood, 25 Cal.3d 772,785 (1979) (rejecting attorney's claim that the identity of his clients are privileged). Indeed, Woods is unaware of even a single case where the attorney-client privilege was upheld to preclude an anonymous litigant from disclosing his name. Third, there is no question that AL's identity is relevant to Woods' ability to effectively prosecute his claims, conduct discovery and obtain a judgment against a known person - even more so in light of the fact that the Court has already found Woods has a "probability of prevailing" on his claims, Indeed, if White is unwilling to substantiate his claim that AL is deceased, Woods is entitled to investigate whether this claim is true. [2] Lastly, information related to AL's identity is clearly not being requested for purposes of "harassment" or "intimidation," nor has White has offered any factual or legal support for such an absurd objection (nor does any such support exist).

In light of the above, Woods' motion should be granted and White should be compelled to answer the deposition questions set forth in the concurrently-filed Separate Statement, as well as produce documents responsive to the Subpoena.

II. STATEMENT OF RELEVANT FACTS

A. AL's Unsuccessful Anti-SLAPP Motion


On July 29, 2015, Woods filed the instant lawsuit against AL for defamation and invasion of privacy by false light.

On September 2, 2015, AL filed an anti-SLAPP motion claiming that the defamatory tweet at issue was protected by the First Amendment and that Woods could not prevail on his claims because the tweet was not a statement of fact, but, instead, mere "rhetorical hyperbole" and "insult."

On February 8, 2016, the Court denied AL's anti-SLAPP motion, finding that Woods had "met his burden of showing a probability of prevailing" on his claims for defamation and invasion of privacy.

On February 11,2016, AL filed a Notice of Appeal of the Court's February 8, 2016 order denying his anti-SLAPP.

B. White's Unsubstantiated Claim That AL Died During The Appeal of the Court's Anti-SLAPP Ruling.

On August 26, 2016, while AL's appeal was pending, Woods' counsel received an email from White stating that there had been a "development in the Woods v. Doe matter," and requesting a time to speak. Declaration of Michael E. Weinsten ("Weinsten Decl."), ~2, Ex. A. During a telephone that same day, White informed Woods' counsel that AL had purportedly died. Weinsten Decl., ~2. White, however, would not respond to any of Woods' counsel's questions regarding the identity of AL, or how or when AL allegedly died. Id White also refused to provide any actual documentary evidence that AL is deceased. Id. Shortly thereafter, on October 21,2016, AL (or AL's estate), dismissed the pending appeal.

C. White's Unfounded and Bad-Faith Refusal to Answer Basic Deposition Questions and Produce Documents Concerning the Identity of His Purportedly Deceased Client

On November 3, 2016, Woods issued and served a Deposition Subpoena for Personal Appearance and Production of Documents and Things (the "Subpoena") on White. Weinsten Decl., Para. 3, Ex. B.

In addition to testimony, the Subpoena sought the production of the following categories of documents:

• DOCUMENTS sufficient to IDENTIFY John Doe a/k/a "Abe List", your client and the defendant in the lawsuit captioned James Woods v. John Doe a/k/a "Abe List", which is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC589746.

• DOCUMENTS sufficient to IDENTIFY the personal representative of the estate of John Doe a/k/a "Abe List."

Weinsten Decl., Para. 3, Ex. B.

On November 9, 2016, White served written objections to the Subpoena. Weinsten DecL, Para. 4, Ex. C. On the same day, White also informed Woods' counsel by phone that he would not answer questions at the deposition that would disclose the identity of AL. Weinsten Decl., Para. 5, Ex. D. However, White was ambiguous as to whether he would answer other questions. Id.

On November 10, 2016, Woods' counsel sent White a meet and confer letter explaining that White's objections to the Subpoena were unfounded because the identity of his client was not subject of the attorney-client privilege or private information. Weinsten Decl., Para. 5, Ex. D. White never responded to this letter. Weinsten Dec., Para. 5.

On November 14, 2016, Woods took White's deposition pursuant to the Subpoena. Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E. During his deposition, White refused to respond to the following questions, among others:

• "What is the legal name of your client?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 7:7.

• "What is the name of his heir?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 8:12.

• "What was Abe List's residential address when he passed away?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 31 :14-15.

• "[D]id Mr. Abe List live in Los Angeles, California?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 26:13-14.

• "Other than the handle "Abelisted" are there any other Twitter accounts under other handles that were owned or managed by Abe List?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 39:6-8.

• "Who informed you that Abe List had passed?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 14:2.

• "Would that be Abe List's father?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 14:8.

• "So just to be clear, you are not going to give me the name of the personal representative of Abe List's estate?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 14: 14-17.

• "Where did Mr. Doe pass away? Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 15:15.

• "How old was Abe List when he passed away?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 17:16.

• "Was Abe List married?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 23:3.

• "Did Abe List live in Los Angeles, California, when he passed away?" Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 26:21-22.

White's counsel objected to the above questions on the grounds that they purportedly seek information that is (1) protected by the attorney-client privilege, (2) "not reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence," and (3) designed to "harass, intimidate third parties and/or deceased people ... " Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 7:8-22. White also failed and refused to bring any of the documents requested in the Subpoena to the deposition. Weinsten Decl., Para. 6.

Efforts to further meet and confer continued throughout White's deposition, wherein Woods' counsel sought legal authority in support of White's objections, but was provided none. See, e.g., Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 7:23-8:4.

III. LEGAL ARGUMENT

A. A Motion To Compel Is Proper Where A Deponent Refuses To Answer Questions During The Examination Or Produce Documents At Deposition


"Any party may obtain discovery ... by taking in California the oral deposition of any person, including any party to the action." Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2025.010. "It is established that a litigant has the right to take a proper deposition, and to receive responsive answers to proper questions ... for the purposes of discovery or for use as evidence, or for both purposes." Beverly Hills Nat. Bank & Trust Co. v. Superior Court In and For Los Angeles County, 195 Ca!. App. 2d 861, 864-865 (1961) (citations omitted). Indeed, "a deponent may be examined regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter involved in the pending action, whether it relates to the claim or defense of the examining party, or to the claim or defense of any other party." Kramer v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 237 Cal. App. 2d 753, 756 (1965); see also CCP Section 2017.010 (providing that "any party may obtain discovery ... that is relevant ... , if the matter either is itself admissible in evidence or appears reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.") "The statute authorizing the taking of depositions ... should be liberally construed to the end that a litigant in a pending action may be afforded a reasonable opportunity to procure available testimony in support of his cause." Mora v. Superior Court in and for Sacramento County, 38 Cal. App. 2d 328, 334 (1940).

"If a deponent fails to answer any question or to produce any document ... under the deponent's control that is specified in the deposition notice or a deposition subpoena, the party seeking discovery may move the court for an order compelling that answer or production." CCP § 2025.480(a). "If the court determines that the answer or production sought is subject to discovery, it shall order that the answer be given or the production be made on the resumption of the deposition." CCP § 2025.480(e).

As set forth below and in Woods' Separate Statement filed herewith, White's objections to Woods' deposition questions and White's objections to Woods' document requests are without merit and the answers and production sought are relevant to the issues in this litigation. As such, Woods submits that Mr. White should be compelled to provide answers to the deposition questions set forth herein and produce responsive documents to the Subpoena.

B. The Court Should Compel White To Answer Deposition Questions Relating to the Identity of AL Since This Information is Neither Private Nor Privileged And Is Critical To Woods' Ability To Effectively Prosecute His Claims Against AL.

Mr. White has refused to produce responsive documents and answer critical questions at his deposition relating to the identity of his purportedly-deceased client on the grounds that such information is somehow (1) protected by the right to privacy, (2) protected by the attorney-client privilege, (3) "not reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence," and (4) intended to "harass, intimidate third parties and/or deceased people ... " For the reasons set forth herein, White's objections are meritless and his testimony, as well as the production of responsive documents, should be compelled.

i. Because AL's Privacy Rights Died With Him, White Cannot Withhold AL's Identity On Privacy Grounds

White has refused to produce documents responsive to the Subpoena on the baseless ground that the documents are "protected by the right to privacy and anonymity." Weinsten Decl., Para. 4, Ex. C at 2:13- 14, 24-25. First, assuming AL is actually deceased (which is not conceded), he no longer has any right to privacy. More specifically, it is well settled that the right of privacy does not survive but dies with the person. See Lugosi v. Universal Pictures, 25 Cal.3d 813, 820, 833 (1979) (dissenting Justices agreeing with majority that: "It is not disputed that the right of privacy is a personal one, which is not assignable and ceases with an individual's death.") (emphasis added); Hendrickson v. California Newspapers, Inc., 48 Cal.App.3d 59, 62 (1975). Further, "the right to privacy is purely a personal one; it cannot be asserted by anyone other than the person whose privacy has been invaded .... " Hendrickson, 48 CaLApp.3d at 62; Flynn v. Higham, 149 CaLApp.3d 677 (1983) (children of deceased actor Errol Flynn cannot sue author of biography of Flynn for defamation or invasion of privacy because the right of privacy cannot be asserted by anyone other than the person whose privacy has been invaded). Thus, White cannot assert such a right on AL's behalf.

Second, AL does not have (and never had) the right to proceed anonymously in this lawsuit. Under California law, a litigant who has voluntarily appeared and submitted to the jurisdiction of the court has a very high burden to satisfy in order to remain anonymous. A general "presumption exists that cases will be litigated with the true identities of the parties set forth on the record, and a court may not lightly disregard that presumption." AF Holdings LLC v. Doe, No. 2:l2-CV-1066 GEB GGH, 2012 WL 6042635, at *2 (E.D. Cal. 2012) (emphasis added) (denying defendant's right to litigate anonymously.) This presumption is based on, among other things, the public interest in an open court system, including the public's right to know the identity of parties to a lawsuit. See Doe v. Kamehameha Schools etc., 596 F.3d 1036, 1042-43 (9th Cir. 2010) ("We are sympathetic to the concerns of the Doe children and their parents, but we recognize the paramount importance of open courts.") California courts only allow parties to use pseudonyms in the "unusual case" when nondisclosure of the party's identity "is necessary ... to protect a person from harassment, injury, ridicule or personal embarrassment." United States v. Doe, 655 F.2d 920, 922 (9th Cir. 1980) ("We recognize that the identity of the parties in any action, civil or criminal, should not be concealed except in an unusual case, where there is a need for the cloak of anonymity."). Here, AL has never established (and neither has White) the extraordinary circumstances required for a litigant to remain anonymous. [3]

In light of the above, White cannot refuse to answer questions of produce documents that relate to the identity of AL on privacy grounds.

 ii. AL's Identity and Information Related To His Identity Is Not Protected By The Attorney-Client Privilege

Contrary to White's claims, AL's identity and information related to his identity is not subject to the attorney-client privilege. See Hays, 25 Ca1.3d at p. 785 ("It is well established that the attorney-client privilege, designed to protect communications between them, does not ordinarily protect the client's identity."); Tien v. Superior Court, 139 Cal.App.4th 528, 537 (2006) (same); Brunner v. Superior Court of Orange Cty., 51 Cal.2d 616,618 (1959) ("[I]t is the general rnle that an attorney is not privileged to withhold disclosing by whom he has been employed."). To the contrary, California courts have acknowledged that once litigation is commenced, a litigant should not be required "to struggle in the dark against unknown forces," even if this means disclosing the name of a client who wishes to remain anonymous. See Baird v. Koerner, 279 F.2d 623, 630 (9th Cir. 1960) ("There is no question ... that it is at times vital to the administration of justice to require disclosure of a client's name.")

The attorney-client privilege is "a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent another from disclosing, a confidential communication between client and lawyer." See Evid. Code, § 954 (emphasis added). '" [C]onfidential communication between client and lawyer' means information transmitted between a client and his or her lawyer in the course of that relationship and in confidence by a means which ... discloses the information to no third persons other than those who are present to further the interest of the client in the consultation ... and includes a legal opinion formed and the advice given by the lawyer in the course of that relationship." Evid.Code, § 952 (emphasis added).

Here, AL's legal name does not fit within the purview of Evid. Code, § 954, as it is not a "communication" made in confidence. There is no question that someone's legal name is not "confidential"-it is known by many people outside the scope of any attorney-client privilege communications. Moreover, disclosing the identity of AL, or information related to his identity, would not disclose the contents of any legal advice obtained by AL (or AL's estate). Woods is not asking for any communications that AL had with White regarding his identity. Indeed, Woods is not aware of a single case where a court has allowed an attorney of a deceased client who is a party to a lawsuit to withhold the identity of his client on privilege grounds.

Furthermore, the extremely limited exceptions to the general rule that client identities are not privileged are inapplicable here. First, there is no reason to believe that disclosing the identity of AL (or his estate's personal representative) might implicate AL in unlawful activities or expose him to criminal or civil liability. See Tien, 139 Cal.App.4th at 537; Hays, 25 Cal.3d at 785. Considering that AL has already been sued by Woods, there is no risk in exposing him to any "civil liability" beyond what he is already facing. Moreover, there is no risk of exposing AL to criminal liability since Woods' allegations are not criminal in nature. Thus, this exception does not apply.

Second, this is not a situation where "known facts regarding an attorney's representation are sue that the disclosure of the client's identity would betray personal, confidential information regarding the client." Tien, 139 Cal.App.4th at 537-538 (holding trial court's discovery order compelling disclosure of the names of class members who contacted plaintiffs' counsel did not violate attorney-client privilege because disclosing the names would not "disclose any personal, confidential information.") The identity of AL or information related to the identity of AL does not constitute "personal, confidential information" because, as stated above, AL's name is not confidential-it is known by virtually everyone that has met AL; not solely his attorneys. Moreover, the disclosure of this information would not "betray a confidential communication" because someone's legal name is not a "confidential communication" - it is a/act, plain and simple. See Tien, 139 Cal.App.4th at 538; cf. Rosso, Johnson, Rosso & Ebersold v. Superior Court, 191 Cal.App.3d 1514, 1518 (1987) (refusing to order disclosure of identities of women who responded to newspaper advertisement directed to women who have suffered injury from use of an intrauterine device because "revealing their names would reveal the nature of a 3 medical problem, ordinarily considered a confidential communication").

iii. Information Related to the Identity of AL Is Highly Relevant And Critical for Woods' To Prosecute His Claims Against AL

Woods is entitled to discover the identity of AL. It is indisputable that AL' s identity is critical and relevant to Woods' ability to investigate and gather information to prosecute his claims against AL. Indeed, California courts have recognized that "[n]otwithstanding the constitutional right to anonymity ... a libel plaintiff has a legitimate competing interest in discovering an anonymous speaker's identity in order to effectively prosecute the libel claim." Doe 2, 206 Cal. App. 5th at p. 1311. Moreover, because White has refused to provide any evidence substantiating his claim that AL is deceased, Woods requires AL's name in order to conduct his own investigation into the issue. Lastly, Woods cannot obtain (or collect) a judgment against a "John Doe." Thus, he needs AL's identity to obtain a collectable judgment against him.

C. White's Claim That Woods Is Not Entitled to Information Related to the Identity of AL Due to Fear of "Harassment" or "Intimidation" Is Unfounded

Lastly, White has refused to provide the identity of AL based on the baseless claim that this information is sought to "harass, intimidate [unnamed] third parties and/or deceased people ... " Weinsten Decl., Para. 6, Ex. E at 7: 13-1 S. This is ridiculous. First of all, if AL is in fact deceased (as White contends), he cannot as a matter of fact (and common sense) be "harassed" or "intimidated." Moreover, White does not indicate who the "third parties" are that would purportedly be "harassed" or "intimidated" should the identity of AL be disclosed. Instead, White's objections are baseless and designed to further obstruct Woods' ability to prosecute his claims. White provides zero evidence that Woods intends to use this information for any other purpose than to prosecute his claims in this lawsuit. As such, White should be compelled to respond to the deposition questions and produce responsive documents.

 IV. WHITE'S FAILURE TO PROVIDE ANY JUSTIFICATION FOR HIS FAILURE TO ANSWER DEPOSITION QUESTIONS AND OR PRODUCE DOCUMENTS RESPONSIVE TO THE SUBPOENA WARRANTS AN AWARD OF MONETARY SANCTIONS AGAINST HIM

Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.480G), where a court concludes that a deponent improperly refused to answer deposition questions, the court must impose monetary sanctions unless the court finds that the losing party "acted with substantial justification" or that there are other circumstances that make the imposition of sanctions improper. California courts may also impose a monetary sanction against a deponent engaging in the misuse of the discovery process by failing to respond to a subpoena. See Cal. Code ofCiv. Pro. § 2023.030(a) ("The court may impose a monetary sanction ordering that one engaging in the misuse of the discovery process ... pay the reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, incurred by anyone as a result of Vthat conduct. "). A nonparty opposing a motion to compel compliance with a subpoena without substantial justification is also subject to sanctions. See Cal. Code of Civ. Pro. §§ 1987.2(a) ("the court may in its discretion award the amount of the reasonable expenses incurred in making ... the motion, including reasonable attorney's fees, if the court finds the motion was ... opposed in bad faith or without substantial justification."); 2020.030; 2025.480; 2023.01O(d); see also Pers. v. Farmers Ins. Grp. a/Companies, 52 Cal. App. 4th 813, 818 (The Code "authorizes service of a deposition subpoena for the production of documents on a nonparty witness and ... authorize[ s] punishment for 'refusal ... to produce' documents requested in the subpoena.") (emphasis added)

Here, White's refusal to answer Woods' deposition questions was without substantial justification and constituted a misuse of the discovery process pursuant to CCP §§ 2023.010(d) and (e). As such, monetary sanctions are warranted to compensate Woods for the reasonable costs and fees associated with the motion and deposition.

As set forth in the accompanying declaration, the total fees and costs that Woods will incur in connection with this motion are no less than $9,040.55. Weinsten Decl., Paras. 7-9.  

V. CONCLUSION

For the reasons stated herein and in Woods' Separate Statement filed concurrently herewith, White has unjustifiably refused to answer relevant questions during his deposition and produce the relevant documents specified in the Subpoena. As such, Woods respectfully requests that the Court issue an Order directing White to appear and answer the questions set forth in Woods' Separate Statement and to produce all documents specified in the Subpoena at 10:00 a.m. on January 5, 2017. Woods also respectfully requests that the Court award monetary sanctions against White and in favor of Woods in the sum of $9,040.55.

Dated: November 30, 2016

LAVELY & SINGER
PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN
LINDSAY MOLNAR

By: MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN
Attorneys for Plaintiff JAMES WOODS

***

DECLARATION OF MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN

1. I am an attorney at law duly qualified to practice before the Courts of the State of California. I am a member of Lavely & Singer Professional Corporation, attorneys of record for Plaintiff JAMES WOODS ("Woods") in this action. The facts stated herein are true and correct and of my own personal knowledge, and if called and sworn as a witness, I could and would testifY competently thereto under oath.

2. Attached hereto as Exhibit "A" is a true and correct copy of an August 26, 2016 email that I received from Kenneth White ("White"), counsel for Defendant JOHN DOE alk/a "Abe List" ("AL") in this action. That same day, during a telephone call with my associate Lindsay Molnar, White claimed that AL had died. However, White would not respond to any of Mrs. Molnar's questions regarding the identity of AL, or how or when AL allegedly died. White also refused to provide any actual documentary evidence that AL was deceased.

3. On November 3, 2016, my firm issued and served a Deposition Subpoena for Personal Appearance and Production of Documents and Things (the "Subpoena") on White. A true and correct copy of the Subpoena is attached hereto as Exhibit "B."

4. On November 9, 2016, White served written objections to the Subpoena, a true and correct copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit "C."

5. Attached hereto as Exhibit "D" is a true and correct copy of a November 10, 2016 letter sent by Ms. Molnar to White. White never responded to this letter.

6. On November 14, 2016, Mrs. Molnar took White's deposition pursuant to the Subpoena. White failed and refused to bring any of the documents requested in the Subpoena to the deposition. A true and correct copy of relevant excerpts from the certified transcript of White's deposition is attached hereto as Exhibit "E."

7. Woods has incurred and will incur reasonable costs and attorney fees in connection with Whites deposition and the bringing of this Motion in the amount of $9,040.55, consisting of the following:

(a) Motion filing fee - $60.00

(b) Process server fee - $70.00

(c) Deposition court reporter and transcript fee -- $598,05

(d) Attorney fees - $8,312.50

At the hourly billing rate of $375.00, Mrs. Molnar has spent nine (9) hours meeting and conferring with White, taking White's deposition, and drafting this motion, for a total of $3,375.00 in attorney fees. Additionally, at the hourly billing rate of $400.00, my associate David B. Jonelis has spent five (5) hours drafting and revising this motion, for, a total of $2,000.00 in attorney fees. Additionally, at the hourly billing rate of $625.00, I spent one and a half (1.5) hours reviewing and revising this motion, for a total of $937.50 in attorney fees.
9. Based upon my experience, I anticipate that Mr. Jonelis will spend an additional five (5) hours preparing the reply to this motion and attending the hearing on this motion, for a total of $2,000.00 in attorney fees.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed this 30th day of November, 2016, at Los Angeles, California.

MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN  

***

On Aug 26, 2016, at 1:09 PM, Kenneth White <kwhite@brownwhitelaw.com>wrote:

Michael and Lindsay:

There's been a development in the Woods v. Doe matter that I'd like to bring to your attention. I hope that it will permit a resolution. I know you have a brief due soon and I'll stipulate to extending the time to file it while I brief you on it. Please let me know when you are available to talk.

Ken White

<image001.jpg>
Kenneth P. White
Brown White & Osborn LLP
333 S. Hope Street, Suite 4000
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone (213) 613-9446
Fax (213) 613-0550

***

DEPOSITION SUBPOENA FOR PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS AND THINGS

TO: Kenneth P. White, Brown White & Osborn LLP, 333 South Hope Street, 40th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90071

YOU ARE ORDERED TO APPEAR IN PERSON TO TESTIFY AS A WITNESS in this action at the following date, time and place:

Date: November 14, 2016

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Address: LAVELY & SINGER, P.C.
2049 Century Park East, Suite 2400, Los Angeles, California 90067

Date issued: November 9, 2016

Lindsay Molnar, Esq.
Attorneys for Plaintiff James Woods

ATTACHMENT 3

DEFINITIONS


1. The term "DOCUMENT" or "DOCUMENTS" as used herein shall mean and refer t all writings (whether electronic or hard copy) as defined by California Evidence Code section 250 and further includes any and all originals as defined by California Evidence Code section 255 and an and all duplicates as defined by California Evidence Code section 260, as well as all drafts prepare at any time in connection with such DOCUMENTS, within YOUR possession, custody and/or control and/or YOUR agents, attorney, accountants and/or any other PERSON who may act on his behalf excepting only those DOCUMENTS which are privileged or otherwise protected from discovery.

2. Without limiting the foregoing, the term "DOCUMENT" or "DOCUMENTS" as use herein also includes all written, typewritten, printed, electronic and graphic materials of any kind 0 nature, including, but not limited to, correspondence, notes, memoranda, telegrams, cables, telexes telecopies, electronic messages and attachments (including but not limited to email messages an attachments transmitted, received or maintained via websites or internet service providers such Hotmail, Gmail, Earthlink, AOL, Cox, Yahoo, ATT, Comcast, Verizon, Sprint, or any other provide or account) (also including any messages, posts, instant messages, emails, or status updates of an sort sent, received, posted, and/or transmitted via Facebook.com, Twitter.com, MySpace.com, or other internet websites or social networking services), instant messages, text messages, sms messages, weblog posts, posts and/or messages made on the internet or any website, publications contracts, agreements, insurance policies, minutes, interoffice communications, offers, charts, papers records, reports, analyses, studies, books, calendars, diaries, appointment books, statements complaints, filings with any court, tribunal or governmental agency, internal investigations, plans bylaws, corporate minutes, ledgers, transcripts, summaries, agendas, audits, work orders, repair orders, bills, invoices, receipts, estimates, financial records, financial statements, account statements confirmations, performance evaluations, personnel files, diplomas, certificates, instruction manuals policy manuals, bulletins, advertisements, periodicals, accounting records, checks, check stubs, check registers, canceled checks, bank statements, money orders, negotiable instruments, sound recordings films, photographs, mechanical or electronic recordings, tapes, transcriptions, any records of any statement, conversation, telephone call, meeting, event or activity, computer program(s) and data an data processing cards. As used herein, the term "DOCUMENTS" should be construed in its broadest possible sense to include all types of documents and "WRITINGS" as defined by California Evidence Code Section 250, all forms of information retained on any computer or other electronic or magnetic media or memory, all computer diskettes, drives, flash drives, cellular phones, and other memo apparatus containing such information, and any other graphic, printed or typed material of any nature or kind whatsoever.

3. "IDENTIFY," as it relates to a Person, shall mean to state the Person's full name, last known address, last known telephone number, last known company for whom that Person worked and the Person's position with that company. As it relates to a Document, "IDENTIFY" shall me to state the type and title of the Document, its subject matter and bates number, and who ha possession, custody or control of it.

4. The terms "COMMUNICATION" and "COMMUNICATIONS" as used herein shall mean and include every manner or means of disclosure, transfer, communication, or exchange of data and/or information, whether orally, electronically, by DOCUMENT, or in any other manner or whether face to face or by telephone, mail, facsimile, electronic mail, text message, internet posting personal delivery, or otherwise.

REQUESTS FOR PRODUCTION

1. DOCUMENTS sufficient to IDENTIFY John Doe a/k/a "Abe List", your client and the defendant in the lawsuit captioned James Woods v. John Doe a/k/a "Abe List", which is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC589746.

2. DOCUMENTS sufficient to IDENTIFY the personal representative of the estate of John Doe a/k/a "Abe List."

***

BROWN WHITE & OSBORN LLP
KENNETH P. WHITE (Bar No. 173993)
333 South Hope Street, 40th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90071-1406
Telephone: 213.613.0500
Facsimile: 213.613.0550

Attorneys for subpoenaed non-party,
KENNETH P. WHITE

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, CENTRAL DISTRICT

JAMES WOODS,
Plaintiff,
v.
JOHN DOE, ET AL.
Defendants.

Case No.: BC589746

NON-PARTY KENNETH P. WHITE'S OBJECTION TO DEPOSITION SUBPOENA FOR PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS AND THINGS

Date: November 14, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: Lavely & Singer, P.C.
2049 Century Park East, Ste. 2400
Los Angeles, CA 90067

TO ALL PARTIES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE ATTORNEYS OF RECORD:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that non-party Kenneth P. White hereby objects to the Deposition Subpoena for Personal Appearance and Production of Documents and Things, served by Plaintiff James Woods as follows:

OBJECTION TO DEPOSITION NOTICE

Non-party Kenneth P. White objects to the notice of deposition on the grounds that it represents an attempt to depose him on subjects protected by the attorney-client privilege, and is not reasonably calculated to lead to discoverable evidence for use in the case. Its purpose is to harass Mr. White, the late Mr. Doe's family, and to attack the late Mr. Doe's name.

OBJECTION TO REQUESTS FOR PRODUCTION

REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION No. 1.:


DOCUMENTS sufficient to IDENTIFY John Doe a/k/a "Abe List", your client and the defendant in the lawsuit captioned James woods v. John Doe a/k/a "Abe List", which is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC589746:

OBJECTION TO REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION No. 1.:

Non-party Kenneth P. White responds as follows: Non-party objects that the request seeks documents protected by the right to privacy and anonymity. Non-party objects that the request is not reasonably calculated to lead to discoverable evidence. for use in the case. Rather, the purpose is to harass Mr. White, the late Mr. Doe's family, and to attack the late Mr. Doe's name.· Non-party objects that the request seeks information covered by the attorney-client privilege. Without waiving the first two objections, Non party rests on the latter objection and will not produce documents.

 REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION No. 2.:

DOCUMENTS sufficient to IDENTIFY the personal representative of the estate of John Doe a/k/a "Abe List."

OBJECTION TO REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION No. 1.:

Non-party Kenneth P. White responds as follows: Non-party objects that the request seeks documents protected by the right to privacy and anonymity. Non-party objects that the request is not reasonably calculated to lead to discoverable evidence. Rather the purpose is to harass Mr. White, the late Mr. Doe's family, and to attack the late Mr. Doe's name. Non-party objects that the request seeks information covered by the attorney-client privilege. Without waiving the first two objections, Non party rests on the latter objection and will not produce documents.

DATED: November 9, 2016

BROWN WHITE & OSBORN LLP

By: KENNETH P. WHITE
Attorneys for subpoenaed non-party, KENNETH P. WHITE

***

PROOF OF SERVICE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

I am employed in the County of Los Angeles, State of California. I am over the age of eighteen years and not a party to the within action. My business address is 333 South Hope Street, 40th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90071.

On November 9, 2016, I served the following document(s) described as: NONPARTY KENNETH P. WHITE'S OBJECTION TO DEPOSITION SUBPOENA FOR PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS AND THINGS in this action by placing true copies thereof enclosed in sealed envelopes and/or packages addressed as follows:

Michael E. Weinsten
Lavely & Singer, P.C.
2049 Century Park East, Ste. 2400
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Tel.: (310) 556-3501
Fax: (310) 556-3615
Attorneys for Plaintiff
James Woods

BY ELECTRONIC MAIL: On the above-mentioned date, from Los Angeles, California, I caused each such document to be transmitted electronically to the party(ies) at the e-mail addressees) indicated below. To the best of my knowledge, the transmission was reported as complete, and no error was reported that the electronic transmission was not completed.

STATE: I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on November 9, 2016, at Los Angeles, California.

_______________
Letty Perez
admin
Site Admin
 
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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Sat Feb 25, 2017 9:42 am

Part 2 of 2

LAVELY & SINGER
PROFESSIONAL. CORPORATION
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
SUITE 2400
2049 CENTURY PARK EAST
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90061-2906
TELEPHONE (310) 556-3501
FACSIMILE (SI0) 556-3615
http://WWW.LAVELYSlNGER.COM

November 10, 2016

VIA EMAIL: kwhite@brownwhiteIaw.com
Kenneth P. White
Brown White & Osborn LLP
333 S. Hope Street, Suite 4000
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Re: . James Woods v. John Doe a/k/a "Abe List", et al.
Our File No 5802-2

Dear Ken:

I am in receipt of your objections to our Subpoena, and your email suggesting you will be voicing similar objections at the deposition. As you know, your objections are not well founded. Indeed, you previously objected to disclosing your client's name on privacy grounds stating that we first had to first establish a prima facie case for defamation. The Court has now held that my client has a probability of prevailing on the merits, and your appeal on that issue has been dismissed. By definition we have established a prima facie case for defamation by your client. Nor do any of our requests involve attorney-client communications. We have every right to determine who your client is, whether your client is in fact still living or deceased, and if deceased when it happened, who is administering the estate, etc.

Further, when I called to tell you the types of questions we would be asking, none of which invoke privacy rights or privilege, you refused to indicate one way or another how you would answer. Since you have refused to volunteer this information, we have no choice but to go forward with your deposition. So that there is no confusion down the road, please note that if you refuse to answer under oath questions that do not invoke attorney-client privilege, we will have no choice but to move to compel answers and seek our attorneys' fees and costs for doing so.

Very truly yours,

LINDSAY D. MOLNAR

LDM
cc: Michael Weinsten, Esq.

***

Kenneth P. White
November 14, 2016

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

JAMES WOODS, an individual,
Plaintiff,
vs.
JOHN DOE a/k/a "ABE LIST" and DOES 2 through 10, inclusive,
Defendants.

Case No. BC589746

VIDEOTAPED DEPOSITION OF KENNETH P. WHITE
Monday, November 14, 2016
11:00 a.m. - 11:59 a.m.

2049 Century Park East, Suite 2400
Los Angeles, California

Reported By:
PAMELA A. STITT
CSR No. 6027

APPEARANCES:

For Plaintiff:

LAVELY & SINGER
BY: LINDSAY D. MOLNAR
ATTORNEY AT LAW
2049 Century Park East
Suite 2400
Los Angeles, California 90067-2906
310.556.3501
lmolnar@lavelysinger.com

For Defendants:

BROWN WHITE & OSBORN LLP
BY: CALEB MASON
ATTORNEY AT LAW
333 South Hope Street
40th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90071
213.613.0500
cmason@brownwhitelaw.com

The Videographer:
STAN BEVERLY
U.S. LEGAL SUPPORT

INDEX TO EXAMINATION

WITNESS: KENNETH P. WHITE

EXAMINATION

By Ms. Molnar

RECESSES
(11:47 a.m. - 11:51 a.m.)
(11:56 a.m. - 11:57 a.m.)

INFORMATION REQUESTED
(None)

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

PAGE / LINE
7 / 7  
8 / 12
10 / 16  
14 / 8  
15 / 15  
16 / 16  
17 / 16  
22 / 1  
23 / 3  
26 / 13, 21  
28 / 21  
29 / 14, 22  
30 / 20  
31 / 22  
32 / 11  
35 / 16  
37 / 25  
39 / 6  
42 / 2, 10  
43 / 9
 
[Page 7]

the defendant referenced in Exhibit 1 as John Doe a/k/a Abe List?

A. Yes. I will confirm that the person named here, the person whose conduct is described here was my client.

Q. You say "was. n He is no longer your client?

A. He is deceased.

Q. Okay. What is the legal name of your client?

MR. MASON: We are going to object on several grounds that I think Mr. White -- I'm happy to have him articulate -- but they boil down to attorney-client communications, they are privileged, and we believe that the underlying purpose of the question is not reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence and it's purpose is to harass, intimidate third parties and/or deceased people, which we do not believe is an appropriate function  of the litigation process, but Mr. White is an attorney and I'm happy to let him explain all of that.

 THE WITNESS: I am going to follow my attorney's admonition and I would only add factually that the core purpose of representation of Mr. Doe was to protect his identity and that is part of the basis of the assertion of the attorney-client privilege.

MS. MOLNAR: Okay. Are you aware of any legal authority that supports your position?

MR. MASON: Yes.

[Page 8]

MS. MOLNAR: Do you know any of it off the top of your head?

THE WITNESS: No. And as deponent I think it would be work product.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. So are you still in an attorney-client relationship with your client now that he is deceased?

A. I am in an attorney-client relationship with his heir.

Q. And is his heir a male or a female?

A. Male.

Q. What is the name of his heir?

 MR. MASON: Again, we would object to that question for the same reasons articulated earlier.

If Mr. White wants to expand on his reasons, he is free to do so but we are objecting to the question. He is not going to give you a substantive answer as to the name.

THE WITNESS: I would only add that the specific reason for the continuing representation of the interest of the late Mr. Doe was to protect his identity and the identity, therefore, of his heirs.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. So who is your client now?

A. I would say that it is the estate of John Doe.

[Page 14]

A. I don't but I did it in writing.

Q. And who informed you that Abe List had passed?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: The person I now am instructed by as the representative of the late Mr. Doe, a family member is the one who contacted me.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Would that be Abe List's father?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: I am going to stick with that.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. You are not going to answer that question?

THE WITNESS: Yes, I am going to decline to.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. So just to be clear, you are not going to give me the name of the personal representative of Abe List's estate?

A. That's correct.

Q. Were you informed the date that Abe List passed away?

MR. MASON: I would go vague as to grammar and also the same objections. Informed of the date or informed on the date?

MS. MOLNAR: I can strike that.

MR. MASON: Yes. Just add a preposition.

[Page 15]

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. When did Mr. Abe List pass away?

MR. MASON: That one I am going to interpose the same objections we had previously.

THE WITNESS: I do not remember the date; however, if I did, I would stand by the objections as articulated by counsel.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. I believe you previously had informed us that it was the month of August; is that correct?

A. I believe that in settlement communications, specifically denominated as such, I made a reference to that general time range, yes. Outside of settlement communications I would decline to answer.

Q. Where did Mr. Doe pass away?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: I am going to decline to answer because I think it would reveal confidential communications.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. And just to be clear for the record when I refer to Mr. Doe and Abe List, it's interchangeably, I am referring to your client.

A. I understand.

Q. Did you ever view a death certificate for Abe

[Page 16]

List?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: Did I ever view a death certificate?

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Yes. Did you see one? Were you provided with one?

MR. MASON: So, right, same objections and I think also the question is vague. Can you --

MS. MOLNAR: I can rephrase.

MR. MASON: Yeah.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Have you seen Abe List's death certificate?

A. I have not reviewed a death certificate of Abe List. I have not read one.

Q. Have you asked for one?

A. I didn't.

MR. MASON: Well, yeah, as to that question again as phrased I would go with vague, particularly as to the object of the verb "asked." Depending on how it was phrased that could reveal attorney-client communications so I think as phrased I would say same objections as previous.

THE WITNESS: Now that I think about it, I think I have to decline to answer that on the basis of

[Page 17]

attorney-client communications.

MR. MASON: Generally what we are going for here is the position that we are taking and I understand that you guys have a different view of the legal merits of this position and we will litigate that in the appropriate forum, but Mr. White is declining to answer questions that ask him to reveal steps that he took or legal communications that he had that would tend to reveal the identity of John Doe in this case. I understand that you guys want to know the name and we don't want to tell it to you.

MS. MOLNAR: Right. And that we obviously disagree with your position.

MR. MASON: Exactly.

MS. MOLNAR: Okay.

Q. How old was Abe List when he passed away?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: I only know that fact through attorney-client communications, so on that ground I decline to answer.

And for the record I don't remember the exact number anyway.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. What was the cause of Abe List's death?

MR. MASON: Same objections. Also foundation,

[Page 23]

A. He did. And to my knowledge his identity was withheld from her.

Q. Okay. Was Abe List married?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: I only know the answer to that question based on an attorney-client communication and on that basis I think I have to refuse to answer. Let me think about that for a second. I think that during a discussion with you which -- I will confirm that in a discussion that I would characterize as a settlement discussion with you, not a successful one, but a settlement overture I told you that he had not been married at any time relevant to this case. And I will confirm that I did that in a settlement context. I believe that would be covered by 1152. That aside I cannot reveal anything more than that.

MS. MOLNAR: Okay. I am going to mark this as, I believe, Exhibit 2.

(Deposition Exhibit 2 was marked.)

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Mr. White, can you describe to me what we have just marked as Exhibit 2?

MR. MASON: For the record has there been -- forgive my ignorance, has there been discovery in this case? Should I be looking for a Bates stamp or anything?

[Page 26]

interpose--

MS. MOLNAR: But I haven't asked yet.

MR. MASON: I understand that. But rather than speculate on the record, I mean, if you learned the fact relevant to the question through the attorney-client through attorney-client communications or attorney work-product, then that would fall within the same objections that we have been interposing throughout the case. So with that caution we can listen attentively for the next question.

THE WITNESS: Okay.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Is that true, does Mr. -- did Mr. Abe List live in Los Angeles, California?

A. On that one part of the profile I do not remember a nonprivileged source of information or a place where it has been disclosed so I am unable to answer that part of the profile -- I'm unable to answer based on the attorney-client privilege. I do know the answer. I'm unable to disclose it.

Q. Okay. And outside the profile did Abe List live in Los Angeles, California, when he passed away?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: Right. My same objection. I know the answer to the question, but I only know as to that

[Page 27]

particular one from an attorney-client source and that is not one where I think it has been revealed elsewhere by me or by the client.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Okay. Did Abe List own a house in Los Angeles at the time of his death?

MR. MASON: Same objections. Also foundation, calls for speculation.

THE WITNESS: This one -- Let me lay the foundation for why I think I can answer it. At the very beginning of the case I informed lead counsel for Mr. Woods that the profile of Mr. List was completely fictitious and that -- I remember saying a few things that weren't true, one of which was being that he owned any property. Given that deliberate disclosure in the past I think I'm able to answer no, he did not.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Okay. And going back on Exhibit 2 it also referenced that Abe List has a link to Harvard, which would imply that he went to Harvard at some point.

Did he graduate from Harvard?

MR. MASON: Same -- Same objections.

THE WITNESS: Without waiving If I knew the answer to the question, I would refuse to answer on the basis of the attorney-client privilege. I do not

[Page 31]

MR. MASON: I was making an objection, facial expression. I would go with our same objections and also vague and foundation, it calls for speculation --

THE WITNESS: Let me think about that.

MR. MASON: -- asking about tweet history.

THE WITNESS: I'm sorry. I'm going to withdraw my answer and say that I think that asking me that invades attorney work-product. You are asking me what I did in the course of investigating the case.

MR. MASON: That's what it sounds like to me.

THE WITNESS: And on that ground I will decline to answer.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. What was Abe List's residential address when he passed away?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: I will -- I will say that I do not remember the address but without -- I will say that without waiving the objection, which I would invoke if I knew the answer.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Did you e-mail Abe List?

MR. MASON: Same objections. Same objections.

THE WITNESS: I think I have to as to the methodology of contact I think I have to assert the

[Page 39]

accounts?

MR. MASON: Same objections.

THE WITNESS: When you say "any other Twitter accounts," what are you including and excluding?

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Other than the handle "Abelisted" are there any other Twitter accounts under other handles that were owned by or managed by Abe List?

MR. MASON: Same objections. Also foundation, calls for speculation.

THE WITNESS: I have to assert the attorney-client privilege because the only way I know the answer to that question is by attorney-client communication.

BY MS. MOLNAR:

Q. Did Abe List have a website?

MR. MASON: Same objections. Also foundation, also calls for speculation.

THE WITNESS: If I knew the answer to the question, I would need to assert the attorney-client privilege and decline to answer it because the only way I would know would be by attorney-client communications; however, I do not know the answer to the question.

MS. MOLNAR: Could we take a five-minute break?

MR. MASON: You bet.

[Page 49]

STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

I, PAMELA A. STITT, a Certified Shorthand Reporter, do hereby certify:

That prior to being examined, the witness in the foregoing proceedings was by me duly sworn to testify to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth;

That said proceedings were taken before me at the time and place therein set forth and were taken down by me in shorthand and thereafter transcribed into typewriting under my direction and supervision;

I further certify that I am neither counsel for, nor related to, any party to said proceedings, not in anywise interested in the outcome thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

Dated: November 16, 2016

PAMELA A. STITT
CSR No. 6027

THIS IS YOUR CRS RECEIPT

INSTRUCTIONS

Please print this receipt and attach it to the corresponding motion/document as the last page. Indicate the Reservation ID on the motion/document face page (see example). The document will not be accepted without this receipt page and the Reservation ID.

RESERVATION INFORMATION

Reservation ID: 161109172908
Transaction Date: November 9.2016
Case Number: BC589746
Case Title: JAMES WOODS VS JOHN DOE ET AL
Party: WOODS JAMES (Plaintiff/Pelitioner)
Courthouse: Stanley Mask Courthouse
Department: 45
Reservation Type: Motion to Compel Discovery (not "Further Discovery")
Date: 12/22/2016
Time: 08:35 am

FEE INFORMATION (Fees are non-refundable)

First Paper Fee: Party asserts first paper was previously paid.

Description / Fee Motion to Compel Discovery (not "Further Discovery") / $60.00

Receipt Number: 1161109K2275

Name on Credit Card: Martin Singer
Credit Card Number: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-9918

A COPY OF THIS RECEIPT MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE CORRESPONDING MOTION/DOCUMENT AS THE LAST PAGE AND THE RESERVATION ID INDICATED ON THE MOTION/DOCUMENT FACE PAGE.

***

PROOF OF SERVICE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

I am employed in the County of Los Angeles, State of California. I am over the age of 18 and not a party to the within action. My business address is 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2400, Los Angeles, California 90067-2906.

On the date indicated below, I served the foregoing document described as:

NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR: (1) AN ORDER COMPELLING NON-PARTY KENNETH P. WHITE TO ANSWER DEPOSITION QUESTIONS AND PRODUCE DOCUMENTS; AND (2) AN ORDER FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST NON-PARTY KENNETH P. WHITE IN THE AMOUNT OF $9,040.55

on the interested parties in this action by placing [ ] the original document OR [X] a true and correct copy thereof enclosed in sealed envelopes addressed as follows:

Kenneth P. White, Esq.
Brown White & Osborn LLP
11 333 S. Hope Street, 40th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071-1406
12 Email: kwhite@brownwhitelaw.com
Tel: (213) 613-9446
Attorneys for John Doe (@abelisted)

[X] BY PERSONAL SERVICE:

[X] I caused such envelope to be delivered by a messenger employed by Express Network.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the above is true and correct.

Executed November 30, 2016, at Los Angeles, California.

_______________

Notes:

1. Making AL' s alleged death even more suspicious, White admitted in his deposition that he never saw AL's alleged death certificate. See, e.g., Declaration of Michael E. Weinsten, Para. 6, Ex. E at 16:13-15 ("I have not reviewed a death certificate of Abe List.").

2. Notably, White has previously informed Woods' counsel that AL lied about many things, including information on AL' s Twitter profile. These prior lies make it even more important to get proof that AL is in fact deceased.

3 Based on previous filings with the Court in this action, AL has effectively conceded this point. For instance, in opposing Woods' prior motion to conduct discovery, AL cited Krinsky v. Doe 6,159 Cal.App. 4th 1154 (2008) for the proposition that a defamation plaintiff can only pierce the anonymity of an internet speaker if it makes a prima facie case. See Krinsky, 159 Cal.App.4th at p. 1171 (holding that a libel plaintiff seeking to compel disclosure of an anonymous speaker's identity must (1) give notice to the anonymous speaker and (2) "make a prima facie showing of the elements of libel. .. ") Thus, because Woods has now made such a prima facie showing (confirmed by the Court when it denied AL's anti-SLAPP motion), AL's own-cited authorities allow Woods to discover AL's identity.
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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Sat Feb 25, 2017 10:11 am

James Woods vs. John Doe: Order
by Hon. Joseph Kalin
January 5, 2017

MICHAEL E. WEINSTEN (BAR NO. 155680)
LINDSAY MOLNAR, ESQ (BAR NO. 272156)
LAVELY & SINGER
PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
2049 Century Park East, Suite 2400
Los Angeles, California 90067-2906
Telephone: (310) 556-3501
Facsimile: (310) 556-3615
Email: mweinsten@lavelysinger.com
djonelis@lavelysinger.com

Attorneys for Plaintiff JAMES WOODS

FILED
Superior Court of California
County of Los Angeles
Jan 5, 2017
Sherri R. Carter, Executive Officer/Clerk
By Daniel Haro, Deputy

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

JAMES WOODS, an individual,
Plaintiff,
vs.
JOHN DOE a/k/a "Abe List" and DOES 2
through 10, inclusive,
Defendants.

Case No.: BC 589746

[Hon. Joseph Kalin, Dept. 45]

ORDER

(1) COMPELLING NON-PARTY KENNETH P. WHITE TO PROVIDE IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ABOUT DEFENDANT JOHN DOE;

(2) ORDERING DEFENDANT JOHN DOE TO FILE AN ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF'S COMPLAINT; AND

(3) SCHEDULING CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

Date: January 3, 2017
Time: 8:35 a.m.
Dept: 45

Complaint Filed: July 29, 2015

On January 3, 2017, the Court presided over a hearing on the Motion of Plaintiff James Woods ("Plaintiff') to compel Non-Party Kenneth P. White ("White") to provide certain identifying information concerning Defendant John Doe a/k/a "Abe List" ("Defendant").

The Court, having reviewed the moving and opposing papers on Plaintiff s motion, and having heard oral argument from Plaintiff's counsel and White, hereby orders as follows:

1. No later than January 13, 2017, White shall provide a sworn declaration to Plaintiff's counsel identifying:

a. The legal name of Defendant;

b. The legal name(s) of Defendant's heir(s);

c. The legal name of the personal representative for Defendant's estate; and

d. Defendant's residential address at the time he passed away.

2. No later than January 18, 2017, Defendant shall file an answer to Plaintiffs complaint in this action.


3. A case management conference is scheduled for April 4, 2017 at 8:30 a.m.

IT IS SO ORDERED

DATED: January 5, 2017

By: THE HON. JOSEPH KALIN
JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT

PROOF OF SERVICE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

I am employed in the County of Los Angeles, State of California. I am over the age of 18 and not a party to the within action. My business address is 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2400, Los Angeles, California 90067-2906.

On the date indicated below, I served the foregoing document described as:

[PROPOSED) ORDER (1) COMPELLING NON-PARTY KENNETH P. WHITE TO PROVIDE IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ABOUT DEFENDANT JOHN DOE; (2) ORDERING
DEFENDANT JOHN DOE TO FILE AN ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF'S COMPLAINT; AND (3) SCHEDULING CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

on the interested parties in this action by placing [ ] the original document OR [X] a true and correct copy thereof enclosed in sealed envelopes addressed as follows:

Kenneth P. White, Esq.
Brown White & Osborn LLP
333 S. Hope Street, 40th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071-1406
Email: kwhite@brownwhitelaw.com
Tel: (213) 613-9446
Attorneys for John Doe (@abelisted)

[X] BY FEDERAL EXPRESS: I am "readily familiar" with the firm's practice of collection and processing correspondence for Federal Express. Under that practice it would be deposited with Federal Express on that same day with all costs fully prepaid at Los Angeles, California in the ordinary course of
business.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the above is true and correct.

Executed January 3, 2017, at Los Angeles, California.

_______________
N. Echesabal
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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:59 am

Confirmed Horrible Person James Woods Continues Being Horrible In 'Winning' Awful Lawsuit To Unmask Deceased Online Critic
from the to-the-bowels-of-hell dept
by Mike Masnick
TechDirt
January 4, 2017

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So... Hollywood actor James Woods continues to make it clear that he's a complete and total asshole. As you may or may not recall, last year, Woods sued an anonymous Twitter user who went by the name Abe List, for mocking Woods on twitter. Specifically, List called Woods "clownboy" and later tweeted: "cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting." Woods sued Abe List claiming that the "cocaine addict" statement was defamatory, and (the important part) demanding the name and identity of Abe List. The fact that Woods, himself, has a long (long, long, long) history of spouting off similarly incendiary claims to people on Twitter apparently wasn't important. Here is an example of a Woods tweet that seems quite similar to the one he, himself, claimed was defamatory:

Stephen Garramone @stevmg - 11 Oct 2013
@RealJamesWoods Have never heard logical argument against Obama just slogans and labels from you, Jon Voight, Giuliani, all RW shit-heads

James Woods
@RealJamesWoods
@stevmg Well, put down your crack pipe, and retread my timelines. You'll find plenty there
4:11 PM - 11 Oct 2013


Ken "Popehat" White agreed to defend Abe List, along with lawyer Lisa Bloom. And while the judge initially (and, in our opinion, correctly) found Woods' lawsuit to be nothing more than a SLAPP suit, the judge eventually changed his mind. The case was moving along... and then something bizarre happened. Abe List (whoever that is) died (unexpectedly, apparently). Woods then took to Twitter to obnoxiously gloat about "winning" the case, leaving out the fact that the case was ending due to the death of the defendant. After people pointed out to Woods how ridiculous it was that he was gloating over a "victory" when someone had died, the ever classy Woods, gloated some more, first saying he hoped that List died "screaming my name. in agony" and then later saying: "Learn this. Libel me, I'll sue you. If you die, I'll follow you to the bowels of Hell. Get it?"

Donald G. Carder @theangrymick
@RealJamesWoods @LisaBloom He died, dude.

James Woods
@RealJamesWoods
@theangrymick @LisaBloom Hopefully screaming my name. In agony.
7:33 PM - 20 Oct 2016

Rustic Baller @ByYourLogic
@RealJamesWoods he's dead you fucking geriatric retard

James Woods
@RealJamesWoods
@ByYourLogic Screaming my name, I hope. Learn this. Libel me, I'll sue you. If you die, I'll follow you to the bowels of Hell. Get it?
6:27 PM - 20 Oct 2016


Woods later deleted those tweets, but as I said at the time, the whole thing is sickening. Even if Abe List was trolling Woods, happily celebrating someone's death because they once made fun of you on Twitter seems to suggest you deserve to be made fun of on Twitter. Constantly.

To then add insult to death, Woods and his lawyers continued to push forward with the lawsuit, demanding to still uncover the name of Abe List. Woods' lawyers basically tried to argue that because they didn't know Abe List's identity, it was possible that Ken White was lying that List had died. They argued that they needed White to disclose Abe List's real name to prove that List was really dead:

Critically, although White claims that AL is deceased, he has refused to provide any evidence whatsoever substantiating this claim. Moreover, when Woods' counsel reasonably requested that White at least provide the identity of his now-purportedly-deceased client -- a fact which would be necessary in order to confirm AL is actually deceased -- White refused.


Emphasis in the original. And, of course White refused. The whole point of the lawsuit appeared to be to reveal Abe List's real identity, which he has every right to protect under the First Amendment. White was hired to protect that identity, so for Woods' lawyer to pretend that it's so horrific that White would refuse to reveal the name is ridiculous -- but apparently par for the course for Woods and his "to the bowels of hell" ethos. Even more ridiculous, Woods and his lawyers demanded White be sanctioned for refusing to give up the name.

White responded by highlighting how ridiculous all this is, and how it's pretty clear that Woods is just looking to harass and intimidate his critics. In his reply, White even included screenshots of the Tweets above, showing how Woods is gloating about all of this.

When defendant (Abe Doe)... died and his personal representative dismissed his appeal of this Court's denial of his anti-SLAPP motion, Plaintiff James Woods gloated and celebrated his death, expressing his hope that Mr. Doe died "screaming [Woods' name."

Now, Mr. Woods seeks to compel Mr. Doe's attorney, non-party Kenneth P. White ("Mr. White"), to disclose Mr. Doe's identity, and to sanction Mr. White almost $10,000 for asserting the attorney-client privilege in response to his questions.... Mr. Woods asserts that his purpose is legitimate and that he does not seek to harass or abuse Mr. Doe's survivors. But Mr. Woods' own public statements give the lie to that assertion. Mr. Woods wants to do just what he said he wants to do: publicly harass and vilify a dead man and his family.

The Motion is meritless, and is a transparent attempt to abuse the discovery process to exact twisted revenge by harassing Mr. Doe's family. First, contrary to Mr. Woods' arguments, Mr. White expressly premised his refusals to answer questions on one ground -- the attorney-client privilege. That assertion was correct. Because the entire purpose of Mr. White's representation of Mr. Doe was to protect Mr. Doe's identity, and because Mr. White only learned Mr. Doe's identity through confidential communications, Mr. Woods cannot force Mr. White to disclose it.


Unfortunately (and... ridiculously), the court has now ruled that White needs to turn over List's real name (along with the details of where he died and the name of his heirs) within 10 days. The court rejected the request for sanctions against White, and also some other information that White insisted was also protected information (such as whether or not List had other Twitter accounts as well).

This is unfortunate, and a travesty. In response, White provided the following statement:

Sometimes in litigation the bad guys win. This was such a day. I remain very proud to have fought for Abe Doe, and proud to have opposed this vexatious case by James Woods, a petulant bully whose Twitter conduct shows he can dish it out but can’t take it. I’m pleased that the court rejected his demand to compel me to answer several other questions, and that it also rejected his frivolous demand for sanctions.


Woods' lawyer, Michael Weinsten, on the other hand, made the following absolutely ridiculous statement:

This is a significant step forward in our ability to recover the millions in damages caused by John Doe's cowardly Tweet. It also sends a message to others who believe they can hide behind the anonymity of online social media to falsely accuse public figures of heinous behavior without recourse to themselves.


First of all, the idea that List's tweet caused "millions in damages" is so laughable as to make you wonder if Weinsten is also on drugs (note: that's a joke and rhetorical hyperbole...). First off, List's original tweet was a reply to someone else's tweet, meaning that only very, very, very few people saw it, because only those who followed both Abe and Woods would have seen it. Second, it would suggest that such a tweet actually hurt Woods' reputation. And I'd posit that it seems a hell of a lot more likely that Woods' own actions, such as gloating over List's death, did significantly more to harm his own reputation than any silly hyperbolic tweet from an anonymous Twitter user. Finally, List didn't "accuse" Woods of "heinous behavior." He did what people -- including Woods -- regularly do on Twitter, which is make fun of other people. To argue that Woods needs special protection from a Twitter troll makes you wonder what kind of special snowflake Woods thinks he is, that no one should ever be able to mock him on Twitter, while he is apparently free to mock anyone he likes.

And, of course, on Tuesday evening, Woods took to Twitter once again to gloat over the fact that he, that special snowflake whose itty bitty feelings were hurt by someone mocking him on Twitter, is able to stomp on the grave of a dead man. He tweeted a bunch of headlines, declaring "victory" despite the fact his victory spits on the First Amendment, and then made this idiotic analogy:

James Woods @RealJamesWoods
Attack the big rat with a jackhammer, and pick off all the little rats as they desert the sinking ship. #MoreToCome

john mccall @izesane
@RealJamesWoods @TheWrap I love the "Utterly destroy the first guy so there is no second guy" approach you took on this.
5:17 PM - 3 Jan 2017


Huh? I recognize that he's trying to argue that you go after "the big dog" so that others won't pester you, or whatever, but he literally went after a no name internet troll -- for doing nearly identical things to things that Woods himself had done. He also tries to defend the "damages" claim by saying that to be a "lead" in a film you have to be insured, and claims of being a drug addict can make you uninsurable. And, sure... but what fucking insurance company uses anonymous trolls tweeting obvious jokes on Twitter to determine if lead actors are drug addicts? The answer? NONE. Woods is full of shit (again: rhetorical hyperbole, James).

This case is an unfortunate travesty of justice. List was, undoubtedly, something of an internet troll himself, regularly pushing many people's buttons (in fact, when List died, White posted about how List regularly attacked White's political beliefs as well). But I don't care how annoyed a troll might make you feel, or how hurt your special feelings are, someone like Woods (who regularly mocks people he calls "snowflakes" online -- a term often used to mock those who can't take any criticism) shouldn't get to stomp all over the grave of someone just because they made him feel bad.
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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:06 am

James Woods Is Addicted To Being A Crybaby
by Joe Patrice
Above the Law
Jan 5, 2017

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


Actor James Woods is famous for playing prickly, mean-spirited, cartoonish villains. Apparently he excels at these roles by living in the skin of a prickly, mean-spirited, cartoonish villain every day of his life.

This commitment to his craft is surely why he’s still suing a dead man for $10 million over allegedly libelous Tweeting. Still. Suing. A dead guy. Or at least everyone says this guy is dead — Woods isn’t conceding that yet — and obviously ne’er-do-wells fake their deaths all the time in Hollywood, so you can’t be too careful. That’s why Woods is using news of the Tweeter’s passing as an opening to unmask the guy’s identity to find out if he’s really gone, and the judge has ordered the defendant’s attorneys, Ken White (of Popehat fame) and Lisa Bloom, to identify their client.

As Voltaire put it, “I disapprove of what you say, so I will persecute you after your death for exercising your right to say it….” Or something like that.

For those who haven’t followed the twists and turns of the Woods libel litigation, an anonymous person on Twitter under the assumed name of “Abe List” called Woods a “cocaine addict” in response to some of the actor’s customarily repugnant Twitter fodder. In response, Woods sued the guy because he’s a crybaby.

In a filing opposing Woods’s request to unmask Abe List, White pointed to a Tweet Woods wrote proclaiming that he’d follow anyone he perceives as libeling him “to the bowels of Hell” — where Woods has lived — and explained:

Mr. Woods asserts that his purpose is legitimate and that he does not seek to harass or abuse Mr. Doe’s survivors,” White wrote. “But Mr. Woods’ own public statements give the lie to that assertion. Mr. Woods wants to do just what he said he wants to do: publicly harass and vilify a dead man and his family. The Motion is meritless, and is a transparent attempt to abuse the discovery process to exact twisted revenge by harassing Mr. Doe’s family


Unfortunately, the judge disagreed.

Apparently trafficking in quasi-birtherism and Islamophobia is fair — as is taking the moral stance of quitting Twitter over the platform’s decision to suspend latter day fascists — but getting mocked for being the kind of dips**t that spews that stuff is an affront that demands justice! Millions of dollars of justice.

Of course Woods is absolutely correct that the death of the writer doesn’t extinguish a libel claim. For example, if anyone spread scurrilous rumors that someone else engaged in physical or sexual abuse, the damage would survive the death of the one who spread the lie. And if these false rumors of drug addiction were truly injurious, Woods has every right to go after them regardless of Abe List’s death. But let’s get real here: just because the law says you “can” do something doesn’t mean you “should,” and his strategy at this point, while legally available to him, runs counter to everything he claims to care about.

Woods supports, if we’re being charitable, a full-throated defense of free speech. The sort of free speech fundamentalism that would stand up to even private censorship (like Twitter account suspensions) of the most vile speech. Libel and slander are certainly actionable — free speech requires legal recourse to police injurious falsehoods — but a public figure famed for hurling insults on Twitter running and hiding behind high-priced lawyers once his “feel-feels” get hurt isn’t exactly conducive to free and open discourse. If anything, weaponizing borderline (at best) libel claims to squelch caustic criticism is a far more dangerous stepping stone to a “freedom for me and not for thee!” universe than any “political correctness” boogeyperson that someone like Woods might kvetch about. When Woods says he can pursue people to the “bowels of Hell,” he’s right. He has the resources to do it and exact a pound of flesh even if his claim fails. That’s a tremendously destructive power for someone hoping to defend a culture of free speech. Sometimes you’ve got to take your lumps for the greater cause when you’re a grown-up. Sticks and stones and all that rot.

And if we’re not being charitable, then maybe that’s exactly the sort of chilled speech environment that Woods wants to see. One where only his opinions matter and no one ever calls him out.

Because, come on…. The guy never meant the “cocaine addict” statement literally, right? It’s a well-worn hyperbolic quip like saying “you’re on crack” when someone says they enjoy sardines. Or, by way of a random example, like when JAMES WOODS HIMSELF wrote on Twitter: “Put down your crack pipe… I wouldn’t want you to spend your precious crack allowance being enlightened.” Or “Well, put down your crack pipe and reread my timelines.”

I guess the powder-crack cocaine disparity applies to online discourse too.

Look, there’s a lot of people out there decrying Woods’s antics as stomach-churning, but, at the risk of putting words in a dead man’s mouth, isn’t this Abe List’s ultimate revenge? With two words, he managed to set his target into a death spiral of reputational self-destruction, alienating everyone in decent society by doggedly pursuing $10 million from a dead guy for an insult that Woods hypocritically employed himself over and over again.

This is the apotheosis of Twitter.

And James Woods has played his role in this divine play to perfection.
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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:09 am

Why is Actor James Woods Ruthlessly Pursuing a Lawsuit Against a Dead Guy?
by Ryan Bort
Newsweek
1/4/17

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In a prolonged act of vengeance that would likely impress even Donald Trump, actor James Woods is pressing on with a lawsuit against a man who is now dead. The deceased was a Twitter user who had remained anonymous, but on Tuesday a judge ruled that the defendant's attorney must reveal the identity of his dead client.

It all started in July 2015, when the Twitter user replied to one of Woods's tweets about the media by tweeting: "cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting.” Woods then sued this "John Doe" for defamation, asking for $10 million in compensation for alleged injury to his status as that '80s character actor who was pretty good on The Simpsons that one time.

After Woods filed his suit, the anonymous defendant's attorney, Kenneth White, filed for an anti-SLAPP motion, which argued that "cocaine addict" was a "a constitutionally protected political insult" similar to the type Woods would routinely dispense through his politically charged Twitter account. In February, the motion was rejected, only fueling Woods's drive to ruin the life of "Abe List," the name on the account whose user called Woods a coke head.

The defendant appealed the judge's ruling, but the appeal was dropped after the defendant died. This tickled Woods. "The slime who libeled me just dropped his appeal contesting my victorious SLAPP motion," he tweeted. He wasn't deterred when he discovered the appeal was dropped because of the defendant's death. “Learn this," he said in a tweet that has since been deleted. "Libel me, I’ll sue you. If you die, I’ll follow you to the bowels of Hell. Get it?”

It is nearly a year later, and Woods can still be said to be in the bowels of hell fishing around for his $10 million. In November, White refused to disclose the real identity of his client, after which Woods filed a motion to force the issue, claiming that the defendant no longer had a right to privacy because he was dead. Despite a strong opposition statement in which White wrote that Woods wants to "publicly harass and vilify a dead man and his family" and that "the motion is meritless," the judge on Tuesday ordered him to reveal the identity of his client.

"This is a significant step forward in our ability to recover the millions in damages caused by John Doe's cowardly tweet," Woods's attorney told The Hollywood Reporter. "It also sends a message to others who believe they can hide behind the anonymity of online social media to falsely accuse public figures of heinous behavior without recourse to themselves.”

White's response?

"Sometimes in law the bad guys win."
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Re: Attorney Ordered to Identify Dead Client Who Taunted Jam

Postby admin » Tue Nov 28, 2017 11:03 pm

James Woods Drops Lawsuit Over "Cocaine Addict" Tweet After Getting Trophy Letter: The actor filed a $10 million libel action two years ago. Then, the anonymous defendant died.
by Eriq Gardner
Hollywood Reporter
July 19, 2017

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The actor filed a $10 million libel action two years ago. Then, the anonymous defendant died.

James Woods has received a letter that he can now frame and put on his mantel shelf alongside his Emmy and Golden Globe awards.

From attorney Kenneth White, the letter states, "On behalf of my client — the defendant referred to as 'Abe List' in the lawsuit filed by James Woods — and my client's surviving family, I acknowledge that they are not aware of any facts to suggest that Mr. Woods has ever been a cocaine addict or used any other drugs."

To earn this, Woods filed a $10 million libel action in July 2015. The target in the lawsuit was an anonymous Twitter user who responded to Woods' conservative politics by suggesting the actor was a "cocaine addict." In filing the lawsuit, Woods wanted to send a message. "AL, and anyone else using social media to propagate lies and do harm, should take note," stated the complaint handled by Michael Weinsten at Lavely & Singer. "They are not impervious to the law."

Woods then beat back an anti-SLAPP motion that attempted to make the argument that the "cocaine addict" tweet was "a constitutionally protected political insult," the type made routinely by Woods as "a well-known part of Twitter's culture of political hyperbole."

An appeal abruptly was cut short when the defendant died. That wouldn't stop Woods. The actor wrote that he hoped the defendant died "screaming my name," adding, "Learn this. Libel me, I'll sue you. If you die, I'll follow you to the bowels of Hell. Get it?"

Woods did make some efforts to pursue the defendant's estate, but that's all over now thanks to a settlement. Full terms hasn't been disclosed, but it does include White's letter.

"To be clear, my client did not intend for his July 15, 2015 tweet about Mr. Woods to be understood as a statement of fact," the letter continues. "He regretted having made the tweet, and further regrets any harm caused to Mr. Woods' reputation by the tweet. His family was not aware of the tweet until after the fact and regrets if any harm came from the tweet being taken literally."


Woods is done with this Twitter defamation case, but the tables have turned because he's a defendant in another.

Portia Boulger, an Ohio woman, is suing him for $3 million. She claims he misidentified her as a Nazi on Twitter. Specifically, the Chicago Tribune posted a photograph of a woman at a Donald Trump rally who might have been making a Nazi salute. Other Twitter users asserted it was Boulger, which led Woods to tweet the photograph along with a question: "So-called #Trump 'Nazi' is a #BernieSanders agitator/operative?"

This got retweeted by Donald Trump, Jr.

Still in court over the matter, Woods filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings last month. He argued the case was an attempt to quell his free speech rights.

"First, Plaintiff's claim for defamation fails as a matter of law because Mr. Woods' allegedly defamatory question is not a statement of fact," writes Woods' attorney. "Nor would a reasonable reader interpret Mr. Woods' question — seeking clarification — as inferring any factual content."

Later in the Woods' brief, it's argues that the word "Nazi" is "inherently imprecise and subject to myriad subjective interpretations" and that "several courts have consistently held that use of the term 'Nazi' is rhetorical hyperbole.
"
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