Richmond Journa

l of Law &Technology

Volume VI, Issue 5, Spring 2000


Defamatory E-Mail and Employer Liability: Why Raising Zeran v. America Online is a Good Thing

Michael H. Spencer

Related Browsing

Related Browsing provides the readers with other web pages that may be of interest.

http://www.ibslaw.com/melon/archive/402_aol.html - This brief commentary by Owen Seitel, Esquire, All Things Must Pass: AOL Dismissed from Defamation Suit, assesses the impact of the Blumenthal v. Drudge decision on Internet Service Providers.

http://cox.house.gov/nettax/lt.html - Robert Schmidt's article in the LEGAL TIMES, Liability and Libel in Cyberspace, explores whether online service providers can be found liable for defamatory material that users post on their systems (November 24, 1997).

http://www.computerworld.com/home/online9697.nsf/all/970908emaillinks - John E. Osborn, Esquire's article focuses on three distinct areas of company policies and procedures regarding E-Mail use by employees: sexual harassment/hostile work place liability, employer use of information contained in E-Mail, and the role of E-Mail in the discovery phase of litigation.

http://www.dlalaw.com/ - This site contains an article by David E. Mills, Discovery of E-mail Messages -- Electronic Smoking Guns, which briefly describes several steps companies may implement to reduce potential liability arising from e-mail.

http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs12-ih2.htm - This checklist provides an overview of key points to consider when preparing information-handling policies and conducting privacy audits within organizations.

http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/priv/privpap.html - Ann Beeson's article reveals the limitations of current privacy protections for online communications and discusses how statutory protections can be reduced or negated through private agreements.

http://members.aol.com/bmethven/e-mail.htm - Bruce E. Methven's article advises how an E-Mail policy that reminds employees that the E-Mail system belongs to the employer and that the employer has a right to examine all E-Mail goes a long way toward eliminating an unwarranted expectation of privacy.

http://www.uncg.edu/cha/UNIVERSITY_COUNSEL/FAQ/email.htm - Lucien Capone, III's paper addresses three topics. First, the factors that should be considered when crafting an institutional E-Mail policy are outlined. Second, the current state of the law establishing the parameters of each of the relevant factors is examined. Finally, model policies that may be adapted for use by your institution are presented.

http://www.mrsc.org/infoserv/safora.htm - Isabel R. Safora, in her article in LEGAL NOTES, describes the necessity for municipalities, in order to protect against litigation, to be proactive and develop policies for employee use of e-mail, the Internet and E-Mail retention, and the article suggests considerations for municipalities in developing such policies. (April 1997).

http://www.osler.com/publications/Outlook/fall99_2.html - This article explores the benefits of having employees actually sign such an E-Mail policy and return it to the employer, thereby providing evidence that they understand the terms of the policy and agree to abide by it.

http://www.abanet.org/genpractice/solo/f96george.html - Richard M. Georges' article assesses how the Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986specifically protects electronic communications, and anyone who intercepts an E-Mail message without authorization commits a crime.

http://www.bankinfo.com/hr/emailpol3.html - Gerard Panaro's article provides components of a legally sufficient, defensible workplace policy on E-Mail.


Copyright 2000 Richmond Journal of Law & Technology