04-24-2019, 01:55 PM
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The Jolt: Peachtree City ordinance would permit libel suits against critics
Jim Galloway
6-7 minutes
Bad ideas are apparently like the measles – especially contagious in populations that have neglected their vaccines. Or in this case, basic civic lessons.
You know about the state lawmaker from Henry County who has proposed a measure to form a state panel to discipline journalists who displease. The governor has labeled the situation “bizarre.”
The Citizen newspaper now reports that the Peachtree City Council on Thursday will take up an ordinance to allow city officials and employees – at the Fayette County city’s expense -- to sue citizens who defame them and their work in any medium, whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, on the airwaves or in a newspaper. In part:
The Jolt: Peachtree City ordinance would permit libel suits against critics
Jim Galloway
6-7 minutes
Bad ideas are apparently like the measles – especially contagious in populations that have neglected their vaccines. Or in this case, basic civic lessons.
You know about the state lawmaker from Henry County who has proposed a measure to form a state panel to discipline journalists who displease. The governor has labeled the situation “bizarre.”
The Citizen newspaper now reports that the Peachtree City Council on Thursday will take up an ordinance to allow city officials and employees – at the Fayette County city’s expense -- to sue citizens who defame them and their work in any medium, whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, on the airwaves or in a newspaper. In part:
Quote:“Legal counsel shall be selected by the defamed individual requesting representation and be reimbursed by the city at a rate not to exceed the approved hourly rate of the city attorney plus 20%. Further, in the event that a defamation suit is settled in the city’s favor, the city shall seek reimbursement for the actual legal costs incurred….”Did we mention that every single person in Peachtree City’s government, from the mayor to the city manager to the guy who fills the potholes, is practically perfect in every way? Read the ordinance here, or stroll through it below: