| Courtney Love Cobain files Special Motion to Strike - SLAPP against designer. |
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Exclusive - Courtney Love Cobain files Special Motion to Strike - SLAPP against designer.
Keith Fink, attorney for Courtney Love, has filed a Special motion to Strike, known as a SLAPP suit in California against Dawn Simorangkir a designer who sued Courtney in March 2009. Fink explained, “The anti-SLAPP statute which is the basis for the motion filed by Ms. Cobain was enacted to dispense with lawsuits where the conduct that gives rise to the lawsuit is based on the rights to free speech or petition.” The lawsuit against Courtney hinges on Courtney’s right to free speech. Courtney used her myspace and twitter accounts to warn fellow celebrities, the public and customers about Simorangkir’s pattern of bad faith conduct. Fink continued, “Ms. Cobain enjoys communicating with her fans and the public through the internet. Many people communicate with her through her blog on myspace and in real time via twitter. Ms. Simorangkir’s lawsuit is based entirely on her displeasure with Ms. Cobain informing the public that as consumer she found Ms. Simorangkir’s business practices to be illegal.” Fink said that the suit “strikes at the very heart of what the First Amendment protects.” He also explained that Courtney would be filing her own complaint against Simorangkir. “Our complaint against Ms. Simorangkir is for overcharging Ms. Cobain, not returning Ms. Cobain’s garments and other unfair business practices.” Courtney had initially hired Simorangkir to refashion and design clothing from Courtney’s extensive closet full of expensive one-of-a-kind pieces of vintage clothing that she has been collecting for decades. The clothing would be “re-worked” or “up-cycled” and mixed with new and different textiles to form an unusual and unique design. Courtney agreed to give Simorangkir bags of clothing and textiles for her to design with and that any unused clothing and materials would be returned. After some time Courtney received an invoice for the first pieces designed by Simorangkir and the amounts were higher than originally agreed. Instead of returning Courtney’s clothing and reworking the invoice, Simorangkir threatened to keep all of Courtney’s items unless she paid. Courtney later found out that Simorangkir sold the designs that Courtney had given Simorangkir the raw materials for, and were to be her own her commissioned designs, to third parties. Courtney chose to warn the public about Simorangkir, and that is when Courtney was sued. |
