Federal judge awards over $700,000 to former American University student targeted in neo-Nazi 'troll

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Education

Federal judge awards over $700,000 to former American University student targeted in neo-Nazi 'troll storm'

By Samantha Schmidt
August 10 at 3:01 PM

A federal judge on Friday awarded more than $700,000 to a former American University student government president who accused the founder of a well-known neo-Nazi website of directing his followers to threaten her with racist online messages.

Taylor Dumpson, the first black woman to serve as student government president at AU, in 2017 sued Andrew Anglin, the founder and editor of the Daily Stormer, alleging he initiated a racist "troll storm" against her that made her fear for her life and disrupted her ability to pursue her education.

Friday's decision, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, may mark the first time a court has ruled that racist online trolling activity can interfere with one's equal access to a public accommodation, according to Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which represented Dumpson.
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Dumpson is now in law school and hopes to use her law degree to "fight for justice," Clarke said.
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Samantha Schmidt is a reporter covering gender and family issues. Follow https://twitter.com/schmidtsam7

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/federal-judge-awards-700000-to-former-american-university-student-targeted-in-neo-nazi-troll-storm/2019/08/10/f73dca84-bb7f-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html

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Federal judge awards $700,000 to former American University student targeted in neo-Nazi "troll storm"

Link to tweet

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Previously at DU:

Woman seeks $1.5M in damages from neo-Nazi website founder
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142310123

Woman seeks $1.5M in damages from neo-Nazi website founder
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212058787

[bucolic_frolic]

1. $1.5 million? Awarded $700k?

Geez. Nicholas Sandmann sued for $250,000,000

Her suit seems more reasonable, but still not a lot of money for what she went through.

But at least she won her lawsuit!

[Progressive Jones]

7. If something is punishing to white nationalists who can't behave themselves,

it's a good thing.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Right?

what payoff did he get by threatening this woman? some kind of perverse pleasure to him I guess.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Former AU Student President Awarded $725,000 In Case Against Neo-Nazi Website

AUG 9, 3:40 PM

Former AU Student President Awarded $725,000 In Case Against Neo-Nazi Website

Natalie Delgadillo | https://twitter.com/ndelgadillo07

American University’s first black female student body president won a $725,000 judgment in her lawsuit against the owner of a neo-Nazi website and one of his followers.

Andrew Anglin, founder of the Daily Stormer, and Brian Andrew Ade are accused of targeting Taylor Dumpson in an internet harassment campaign that her lawyers said was “designed to intimidate and place Ms. Dumpson in fear for her safety,” according to the original complaint against them. Dumpson said that she has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and felt unsafe using public accommodations at her school as a result of the harassment.

Neither defendant ever showed up in court, according to David Ryan Brody of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the lead attorney in the case. As a result, the judge ordered a default judgment in favor of Dumpson.

Dumpson had just been inaugurated into her new role as student body president on May 1, 2017 when a masked man hung bananas from nooses on the AU campus (disclosure: AU holds the license for DCist’s parent company, WAMU). The bananas were strung up near the student government offices, and had racist messages written on them, one of which targeted Dumpson’s sorority. News coverage of the incident mentioned Dumpson’s position, and the fact that the hate crime occurred on her first day in her new role.

Anglin posted an article about the incident on his website, including Dumpson’s name and photo and links to her Facebook account, and directed his followers to “troll storm” Dumpson, according the complaint.
....

[SharonAnn]

3. Excellent news. Especially because it's based on "equal access to a public accommodation"

Equal access to a public accommodation is the law. Violating it has consequences.

[cstanleytech]

4. Could you dumb it down for people like me though as I honestly do not understand how it

applies especially in this case.
I mean I could see her suing and winning if it was say a college refusing her admission or something but I am not sure how that applies to the trolling online these people did regardless of how repulsive it is.

[FM123]

5. Rachel Maddow explains it best (at the 8:50 mark)

[cstanleytech]

12. Thanks, that does help a bit.

[3Hotdogs]

6. I guess the nature of the threats was connected to her continuing to enroll at A.U.

[MicaelS]

9. Would love to see him...

And "Weev" captured and returned to the US, even if by extra-legal means.

[GulfCoast66]

10. I don't know what Morris Dees did to get run from the SPLC.

Which he founded. I assume for good reasons if nothing more than he was a man of his times in a different and many ways better era. Or maybe something worse. Really never explored it because it was too painful.

But regardless of what he did in the later years he showed the way. Sue the motherfuckers till they are living in the streets. It has become our most powerful tool.

I gave to the SPLC while he was there and still do. Did not even read if they were involved with this case, but without them this would not be happening. Someone can damage you without committing a crime.

[canetoad]

11. He owes millions

In judgements against him. They'll have to pick over his scrawny, bleached bones and tattered shreds of dried hide.