Can ACORN sue Glen Beck for slander?

[Hugabear]

I would love to see ACORN take Glen Beck to the cleaners over the nonstop defamatory statements he's been making over the past few weeks, and particularly over the past few days with these bogus "gotcha" videos. This should be the very definition of slander!

If nothing else, those who produced these "gotcha" videos should be prosecuted for the various crimes they've committed in producing these tapes.

[Statistical]

1. What crimes?

Pretending to be a pimp is a crime?

[tekisui]

3. I don't know about slander. Maybe entrapment? There may be

privacy violations in the taping?

[Statistical]

6. Ok a video tape of you doing something stupid can never be slander by a third party.

Even if it wass.... slander isn't a crime, there is no criminal charge for slander. You can't be arrested for slander.

Entrapment can't happen unless they were the Police or ACTING FOR the Police.

Privacy violation in a public office? Laughable.

0 for 3.

[tekisui]

12. I got nothing else.

I was just tossing those out. I still hope someone finds something to sue him for.

[cali]

11. entrapment is a term that refers to law enforcement action

and their has to be a reasonable expectation of privacy for the ACORN workers. I'm not sure that's there.

[Hugabear]

4. Recording someone without their knowledge can be

In some states, it is against the law to do that.

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. I thought it was OK as long as one of the parties knows...

... and as long as it doesn't violate, in certain cases, the copyright on, say, a performer's image and voice.

[Statistical]

7. Can be but not in all states and not in all situations.

If they were smart enough to pick states that it is not illegal?

[tekisui]

2. I would love to see Beck get sued.

Groups should try to tie him up and break his bank in suits.

[cali]

8. no, I don't think that those who did this should be prosecuted

It would set a bad precedent.

[Statistical]

13. Exactly. Essentially all forms of undercover jounralism would be at risk.

Luckily for that reason (oh an the minor fact that no crime was committed) any judge would throw this out so fast the attorney would get whiplash.

If you do or say something stupid in public (and an establishment that allows retail traffic off the street is public) don't expect to have some kind of magic legal remedy that solves all your problems.

The better solution is to always act like you ARE BEING recorded and thus you have nothing to hide. Some good ideas would be to decline to support criminal enterprises, or secretly notify the police.

[TxRider]

9. Not without opening up themselves for discovery

And letting Beck at their books and records and e-mails etc.

[oligarhy]

10. here are some of the laws I think they broke

My thread

[Statistical]

14. The parties had no reasonable expectation that the conversation would remain private.

Assuming this was real the pimp could tell his pimp friends of the great tax services provided.

The parties involved signed nothing to indicate the information wouldn't be repeated. There was no standing legal protection like attorney client, doctor patient, or mental health worker. No non-discolure agreement. Neither party asked to keep it a secret.

Eavesdropping upon or recording a conversation, whether by telephone or face-to-face, when a person would reasonably expect their conversation to be confined to the parties present, carries the same penalty as intercepting telephone or wire communications.

However it never hurt to try and sue someone for civil damages but it is a longshot.