Gloria Allred: Rush Limbaugh Should Be Prosecuted For Controversial Comments About Sandra Fluke

[Great Caesars Ghost]

Source: Huffington Post

By MATT SEDENSKY 03/ 9/12 04:39 PM ET AP

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A high-profile attorney is calling for Rush Limbaugh to be prosecuted on a defamation charge, saying an obscure Florida law can be used to punish him for calling a college student a "slut" and a "prostitute" on the air.

Gloria Allred, the famed celebrity lawyer, sent a letter to the Palm Beach County Attorney's Office on Thursday saying prosecutors should consider a charge under an 1883 law making it a misdemeanor to question a woman's chastity.

"He has personally targeted her and vilified her, and he should have to bear the consequences of his extremely outrageous, tasteless and damaging conduct," Allred said in a phone interview Friday.

<snip>

Allred focused her efforts on Palm Beach because Limbaugh both lives and broadcasts his show from the county. She cited a state law that says, "Whoever speaks of and concerning any woman, married or unmarried, falsely and maliciously imputing to her a want of chastity, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/09/gloria-allred-rush-limbaugh_n_1335094.html

[Denninmi]

1. That's kind of a stretch.

Dredging up an obscure but still-on-the-books law from the 19th century.

I would love to see Sandra Fluke sue Limbaugh for defamation, but it would be a civil tort, not a criminal one.

I can't see this going anywhere. We had a similar law here from the 19th century making it illegal to swear in the presence of women and children. A county prosecutor trying to make a name for himself actually charged a man for swearing in public. It ultimately was ruled an unconstitutional law in violation of the US first amendment.

[CAPHAVOC]

3. Discovery?

[Julian Englis]

20. I agree, it's a stretch

Further, it would make him more of a martyr to his sycophantic followers.

Now, it would be funny to see him in trouble for illegal possession of Scheduled II narcotics....

I do wonder if he is still using/

[Grins]

31. Why not?

They're conservatives!! They love the 19th century (not to mention the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries) and want to return to those good old days of yore!

Your comparison to cussin' is not a good match to this Florida law. Defamation and libel are not Constitutionally protected.

[COLGATE4]

33. But you've got to love

mid-Michigan prosecutors! (I went to law school with him). Bozo.

[Giantsfootball10]

36. I don't know if Gloria helps the cause or hurts it

I can see her side of things though.

[sofa king]

43. Well, we can thank Rush for building the bridge to the 19th C.

Why can't we try him according to the laws written in the era to which he wishes to return the United States?

[BeyondGeography]

2. Dumb

[LetTimmySmoke]

4. No.

[Lint Head]

5. There is an oscure law in Florida that says what he did is a first degree misdemeanor.

[bluestateguy]

6. That law is sexist and probably violates 14th Amendment equal protection

If you badmouth or smear a woman's sexual morality you can be charged with a crime.

Yet badmouthing a man's lechery or perversion is apparently no crime.

[Booster]

7. Nobody should sue Limpballs except Sandra Fluke.

[alp227]

8. Gloria should go back to 5th grade and re-study that 1st amendment.

No wonder "lawyer" is such a dirty word in the US.

[jmowreader]

9. No, I don't think so...

Seeing the once all-powerful Pigboy, King of AM Radio, reduced to webcasting and shortwave radio out of a singlewide trailer (because he's been sued for every cent he has, and lost) while chain-smoking White Owls would be vindication enough for me.

[Tumbulu]

10. prosecute him! Good idea

and keep attacking him from all sides, advertisers, county....yes, good idea.

[caseymoz]

11. Not a good idea.

Plus, isn't this exactly the sort of sexists law women would like to get rid of? Why, legally is imputing a man's chastity not a crime? There's a reason why the law has been forgotten.

I think there's a good case for defamation and/or slander even without the law. In fact, given how Rush maliciously lied and repeated the lies over three days and then only retracted "those two words," this passes the "actual malice" test with colors. How many times did he say, "She is having so much sex. . . ." when it wasn't even a topic of her testimony? She wasn't a public figure, so that defense is out.

Limbaugh's ranting is practically the reason why there are defamation laws.

[JDPriestly]

27. I agree with you, caseymoz.

[caseymoz]

41. You know he's hated

when people are so will to throw aside their principles to hurt him in any way.

There's hardly anyone who has earned it more.

[tech_smythe]

37. A winning lawsuit will be based on context, NOT words

there are no laws against calling someone a slut, whore, prostitute, floozy, etc (and I've used all those against men fwiw).

the point is the CONTEXT he used... all 3 days worth!

THAT is how she'll win her case against limpballs.

Allred is wrong about the avenue to attack this asshole!

But the idea he needs to be sued out of existence, however, is one I can get behind.

[emilyg]

12. dumbdumbdumb

[RufusTFirefly]

13. Oh swell. Let's turn Limbaugh into a martyr

His fanatical defenders will have a field day with this.

Meanwhile, the whole point of Fluke's statement will be completely lost in the shuffle.

Definitely NOT a good idea.

[Grassy Knoll]

14. I don't know if this is good or not, but....

..the story stays in the news for a while, And the con's can compare a
false narrative to Bill Maher, a comedian, to a de facto leader of the republican
party. Con's have mastered sleight of hand, but everybody knows how the trick is done.
Obama 2012

[davidthegnome]

15. I don't think it's a good idea

As others have pointed it - this would paint Rush as a martyr in the eyes of his supporters for certain, perhaps even for some of those still on the fence. I think that Fluke can and should file a civil suit (slander), but suggesting that a blue law from before the previous Century should qualify as enough reason for prosecution... it does not strike me as a winning tactic.

[burning rain]

16. Allred must know that the bar for invoking libel law in the US is so high as to make it moot.

Might work in the UK, though.

[Xipe Totec]

17. Not a good idea - If your enemy is destroying himself, don't interfere... nt

[tech_smythe]

18. GOD DAMMIT!!!! DOn't make me defend that pile of shit, PLEASE!

Seriously lady, I know your heart is in the right place.... but this is N O T the way to go about it!
you can't just go about attacking and making laws because someone is an asshole!

YES LIMBO SHOULD BE SUED!!!!!
dear lord the slander that emanates from him on a daily basis should be enough to put him in the poor house for 1000 years alone!!!

but you can N O T be suggesting laws... that IS unamerican

we have a 1st amendment for a reason, and as much as I WANT to see that fat bastard utterly destroyed, it has to come from without, not within(the government)

Gloria Allred you do us ALL a disservice by going after the bastard in this manner!
there are better, more efficient, less detrimental ways... please use one of those!

[Kalidurga]

19. What about solicitation.

Rush claimed that he was paying Fluke to have sex and he wanted the video proof of it, posted online. It doesn't matter that he isn't paying for it, in his mind he is I think that is pertinent.

[excuse not to write]

21. i wish both of them would just go away

[uppityperson]

22. Who do you mean by "both" since there are several people mentioned?

[excuse not to write]

26. Allred & Limbaugh

Last edited Sat Mar 10, 2012, 08:11 PM - Edit history (1)

Two massive attention junkies.

[Major Hogwash]

23. Well, Gloria, if I were the prosecutor for Palm Beach, you might have a chance.

But, for a measly misdemeanor?
Com'on, if I were the prosecutor for Palm Beach I'd file a charge of a felony 2nd class, at least, and then make a motion with the court the next day to bump it all the way to a 1st class felony, and then ask the judge to deny him bail and keep him jail until his trial is held.

Then, I'd find him guilty, and put him in the electric chair and fry that tub of goo right on public tv to send a message to others of what happens to people who try to intimidate a witness who is called to testify before Congress!!!

[McCamy Taylor]

24. Rush is a moron. No law against that. "Chastity" is an antiquated concept

that only right wing gas bags like Rush even believe in. Start crying foul when your "chastity" is questioned, and some folks will begin to believe that a good woman is a chaste woman.

[NICO9000]

25. Seriously?

This woman has never met an ambulance wearing a skirt that she won't chase. While she's on the right side once in a while, she's the ultimate grandstander.

She needs to pay more attention the her phony TV judge show.

[w4rma]

28. Do it. Destroy him. Sue the company he works for, too. Noone deserves it more. (nt)

[kopperlis123]

29. Spam deleted by OKNancy (MIR Team)

[Clouseau2]

30. Ridiculous

That law is obviously unconstitutional and a court should strike it down.

However, she's got a very very strong case for defamation. This gasbag called her a slut and a prostitute and much more for hour after hour over a 3 day stretch and the entire nation now knows about her humiliation.

You go to any forum talking about this, and the Republican troglodytes defending Rush are 100% sure she's a "loose woman" who sleeps around constantly, even though she never addressed her own sex life or need for contraception pills in her testimony.

Take him to the cleaners in civil court!

Preferably without Gloria Allred.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

32. Prior post in GD

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002406907

[aaaaaa5a]

34. The last thing we need is for her to get involved.

She is as toxic as Rush. She is not good for our cause.

[SemperEadem]

35. If the punishment

was him getting his tongue cut out of his head, then I'd say go for it. But this law was meant to spare innocent women of their marriage value being gutted due to slanderous statements back when the only way women could operate without shame in society was through being marriageable/married. Times have changed, thank god.

But a misdemeanor is basically a slap on the wrist. It's not a felony that carries a prison sentence. And the Discovery process would open up Ms. Fluke's sexual history to limpfuck's lawyers for certain, which her testimony or her presence on Capitol Hill that day was never about--it was about the denial of legitimate medical coverage to women based upon one narrow sliver of interpretation of what birth control pills are for.

How I see this is if obscure laws (the bible) can be used to justify and deny women the right to determine their own bodies (and glt folks to full access of rights enjoyed by non glt folks), then I don't see why something that is 130 years old can't be dredged up--it's still on the books and just because times have changed doesn't mean it can't be used---but the punishment is not severe enough and it would open Ms. Fluke up to exposing her privacy when that's never what she was up on Capitol Hill to speak about.

[The Wielding Truth]

38. When Oprah has to defend a comment on beef in court, I say, "Hall Limbaugh in."

Rush has concentrated his hateful power to destroy a private citizen for defending life saving medicine being covered in private insurance and he has proven once again that he has no respect for half of the human race.His misuse of our national airwaves is criminal. Profiting from hate, lies and propaganda is wrong.

[Zanzoobar]

39. Winning!

She's back in the headlines!

That's gotta be worth something.

[MrSlayer]

40. It's not a crime to be an asshole.

Nor should it be. I don't like where this is going.

[Uncle Joe]

42. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Great Caesars Ghost.

[rayofreason]

44. Allred is such an attention whore....oh no!...

..Now she will sue me!

Famed celebrity lawyer indeed. She gives all lawyers a bad name.