With the sense of anonymity, people often post false claims, lies, and private information that can impact a person’s livelihood. Illegal content such as copyright infringement, invasion of privacy, and defamation are on the rise on the internet. But there is something to be done about it. 

Today’s guest is Kenton Hutcherson. Kenton is an attorney and owner of Hutcherson Law. He and his team focus on a very specific niche of law: helping people, professionals, and businesses who have been attacked on the internet. 

Show Notes:

• [1:11] - Kenton explains the three types of cases he works with - internet defamation, copyright infringement, and invasion of privacy.
• [2:20] - Kenton shares his background and journey as an educator and lawyer.
• [4:15] - The pandemic in particular caused a lot of interesting problems that Kenton has worked to solve.
• [5:36] - Defamation encompasses libel and slander. Kenton explains the difference.
• [7:00] - Written posts on the internet can harm people many years later.
• [8:27] - When does it make sense to see a lawyer for internet defamation?
• [9:50] - Is the damage being caused worth the cost of a lawyer? Kenton describes the clients that usually merit hiring a lawyer.
• [11:57] - Sometimes a bad situation is to cut your losses and move on.
• [13:20] - You want a better life, not a better lawsuit. Be a kind and respectful person.
• [14:46] - Extortion by defamation is unfortunately common by consumers.
• [15:43] - Not all reviews are true and accurate.
• [16:56] - The Communications Decency Act has created safety for review sites themselves because it is user generated content.
• [18:53] - Google has stepped in and will remove some sites and reviews from searches when review sites refuse to take down a false review.
• [20:50] - Kenton has worked with Yelp previously. He shares Yelp’s policy for defamation.
• [23:01] - Sometimes people will use throw away accounts that they can’t access again in order to change their review or post.
• [24:01] - You can also hire a reputation manager who can help bury negative false claims.
• [25:01] - Kenton shares an example of a case and client he has had.
• [29:03] - The case Kenton shares demonstrates how people can truly destroy a business.
• [31:12] - In this case, the convict broke out of prison. He did not stop pursuing Kenton’s client.
• [32:55] - Kenton’s team contacts Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines to take down posts and reviews for their clients.
• [34:09] - Simply express your opinion. Do not post false assertions of facts.
• [35:50] - For both sides, a lawsuit can damage their lives.
• [36:32] - If you are sued, you cannot discharge this with bankruptcy.
• [39:05] - Defamation is approached a bit differently if it is a competitor.
• [40:08] - Kenton describes how an internet lawyer unmasks defamation.
• [41:56] - You need to have enough materials and content to analyze.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. 

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• Hutcherson Law Website