How absurd is the lawsuit against Don Imus by the Rutgers player?

Doesn't it make you sick? In the supposed land of "free speech" Don Imus makes one comment - one quick bad joke - and civil rights leaders try to lynch him, they protested outside of NBC, he apologized to everyone, he apologized to the Rutgers' players faces (and they accepted the apology), he lost all of his sponsors, got fired from his job.......and now he's being SUED for the comment??? It's enough to make me sick.

She's also suing MSNBC, NBC Universal, CBS Radio, CBS Corporation, Viacom Inc., Westwood One Radio and Imus' producer Bernard McGuirk.

Enough is enough. Thoughts?

The above answers and the discussion I have seen on the news outlets all fail to mention an important fact: she was not mentioned by name. I'm not saying that's a complete defense, but I'd sure be researching that if I was on the defense. Her attorney said on CNN that it's to "clear her name", but her name was not mentioned in the allegedly defamatory remarks. I did wonder about the video which accompanied the comments when they were first aired on the tv simulcast of his radio show, to the extent there is accompanying video of her at the time the remarks were made. But her lawyer seemed to be talking about the spoken remarks only. (I have not seen the complaint.) Anyway, I think the failure to mention her or any of the players by name is significant. Actually, others who re-published the remarks and the video along with her name might be better defendants. As for whether she was a public figure at the time of the initial publication, that is debatable.

The girl is a public figure, as such, she has less protection under the law for people making comments.....

I doubt she will get anything.

She's hoping to get the $54 million pants judge to decide the case, or one of his friends.

What judge will even consider this lunacy?

Why not have class action from all women against rappers who promote misogyny too?

I wanna sue for something! Get me a lawyer too and we will figure something out so I can get some "money for nothing and the chicks for free"!

In any circumstance like this, lawyers will start circling around like sharks, looking for people with deep pockets.
The Imus controversy was the greatest bit of free publicity the Rutger team, and the University iteself for that matter, ever got!!!
Also what I noticed on the recording is that Don Imus didn't say it. Somebody behind him says "nappy headed ho's" and then Don repeats it, laughing simply because it was such a brutal thing to say. Don should have however said, "Man, that's cold, you can't say that" then he would have protected himself.

its absurd.

I agree. I mean what he said was wrong, but come on....did it cause them pain and suffering??? No, it didn't, but everyone is out for a quick buck these days. Anyway, yes I think that he should not say these types of things on the air, but this is ridiculous.

It almost makes you side with Imus in the sense that it shows these girls have acted overzealously initially.

When you actually listen..not read the transcript, its actually very lightly spoken without malicious intent.

It was a white man trying to sound cool, but no truly knowing how to use urban lingo.
That was the context of his comments.

But you have every person exploiting it -- when you have the black community acting like they are the only ones that can say ****** or call women bit**es and ho**

Its completely absurd.

And if you are going to take it out on Imus, why not add O'reilly and Coulter and rush limbaugh who always put their foot in theier mouth with racists comentsl

P.S. you can actually email the rutgers basketball team -- as rutgers has an directory open for every student.
Tell that girl how stupid she is yourself

If you think she is behind the suit then you are stupid, some lawyer probably approached her with a sweet deal to make more money than she will ever make playing in the WNBA and she took the deal. Lawyers are ruining this country.

Well, I don't agree with the notion that the woman in question is a public figure. that said, he didn't single her out. It not like he said "that Jane Doe is a nappy headed ho", had he done that then I'd say sue away Betsy.

But he said it about the team in its entirety and she is now bringing HERSELF to the forefront with this suit.

America needs to change its litigation laws. She should have to pay legal fees when she loses for wasting time.

Well I can understand the girls aggravation with his comments. If she can show how it has TRULY negatively affected her then she should get something. We have free speech but also have laws against slander and liable.

Don't think for a second that Al Sharpton isn't behind this suit.