Comments on: Real Estate Blogger Sued for $25 Million

By: Roger Baldwin

Roger Baldwin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:53:41 +0000

I do not think that the court will condemn the blogger for defaming a Florida developer. And if it will, it will be a first.

By: Kevin Tomlinson

Kevin Tomlinson — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:02:40 +0000

“In my opinion” does not cover you. They scare you with the lawsuit, which you HAVE to defend. A deep-pocketed developer could wrap you up and break you in legal fees; thus, they win.

That’s the reality.

This is a really old topic, tho. There has only been this instance of this.

By: Danny Thornton

Danny Thornton — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:49:15 +0000

Ross, regardless how old the story is or whether or not the case was dropped, bloggers need to be aware that facts need to be presented or opinions need to be identified. It is not real hard to write “In my Opinion”.

Regardless of what your reasons for blogging is, once it is out there, the damage is done.

By: Ross Hair

Ross Hair — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:20:35 +0000

Thanks Katerina – it’s really helpful to have the results of the legal action.

I’m not suprised the case was dropped.

By: Katerina Gasset

Katerina Gasset — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:22:27 +0000

Opera Tower LLC v. Lechuga, No. 2008-3086-CA-01 (Fla. Cir. Ct., Miami-Dade County filed Jan. 22, 2008).
Status: Dismissed by plaintiff
The developer of the Opera Tower condominium sued Miami real estate agent and blogger Lucas Lechuga for statements on the Miami Condo Investments blog (http://blog.miamicondoinvestments.com/) about the project. The blog initially stated that several contracts for sale of apartments in Opera Tower were likely to not close, and that developer Tibor Hollo had filed for bankruptcy in the 1980s. After the suit was filed, that blog entry was removed and a modified version posted. Lechuga’s employer, Miami real estate firm Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell, was also named as a defendant; the firm fired Lechuga after the suit was filed. In January 2009, the plaintiff dropped the case.

By: Katerina Gasset

Katerina Gasset — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:21:12 +0000

The case was dismissed by the plaintiff who had a case with no merits. You can look it up on the court docket.

We all need to be careful in our blogging but never allow fear to keep you from blogging. Never allow fear to keep you from being a realtor either, an occupation that is one that is very litigious. Just make sure you don’t say untruths about others, but you can certainly state your opinion.

By: Mario

Mario — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:20:36 +0000

I’ve not heard of this story, but I wonder the amount of influence a blog or the blogger could have on the development, unless the agent was followed and worshipped by many. To justify $25mil, everyone lost in that deal, from the broker letting go of an influential agent, to developer and reputation, to the agent with money and job.

I have maintained a blog at one point and soon will be returning. It was composed of adventure stories we experienced in our market, and I would change the names to not point anyone out. Never in negative nature against anyone, just crazy stories that defied what my clients saw on TV.

Like I said – posts are old but will have new content this month (we’re cleaning house).

Mario | Four Daughters Real Estate

By: Maureen McCabe

Maureen McCabe — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:13:47 +0000

OOOOOOOOOOLD news! but I see Bill Gassett has already said “old news. 2007? or 2008?

Or was there a new development…in the story?

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:53:15 +0000

Seems like a no-brainer to me. The blogger didn’t get his facts straight and now he’s being called on the carpet for it. To state an opinion is one thing, but to make the claim (maybe other claims) the developer went bankrupt is another thing.

By: Ross Hair

Ross Hair — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:32:26 +0000

This is a relatively old story so I’ll spend some time tracking down the end result and give some feedback.