Times-Standard, July 1, 2009 by Allison White
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_12729896
U.C. Berkeley law professor Jesse Choper said proving the statements are defamatory depends on whether Hansen is cast as a public official or a private citizen. “If it’s an ordinary citizen, it’s much easier to prove,” he said…. The fact that the comments were made by anonymous users shouldn’t matter legally, he said. “If messages are sent out over the Internet, it doesn’t protect them from making defamatory statements,” he said.