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Overlawyered

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Overlawyered was a law blog on the subject of tort reform run by author Walter Olson. Founded in 1999, it is "widely considered to be the oldest legal blog and is also one of the most popular", according to Law.com.[1]

Content

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The subject of the site is alleged absurdities,[2] excesses,[3] and abuse[4] of the American tort law system.[citation needed] Its regular readership includes thousands of lawyers in the United States, as well as physicians, and readers in other countries considering American-style tort systems.[1][2]

On April 26, 2013, Olson announced the blog had affiliated itself with the Cato Institute, where he is a senior fellow.[5]

Dispute

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In 2010, aviation tort lawyer Arthur Alan Wolk sued Overlawyered, Olson, and contributors Ted Frank and David Nieporent for libel over a post written by Frank.[6][7] Judge Mary A. McLaughlin ruled that Overlawyered is a "mass medium" and dismissed the case because Wolk did not file within the one-year statute of limitations.[6][8][9] Wolk appealed his loss.[6][8] In 2011, Wolk and Overlawyered reached a settlement.[10]

Termination

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The blog ceased to operate on May 31, 2020.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b C.C. Holland (2008-12-08). "How to Build a Better Law Blog". Law.com.
  2. ^ a b Adrien Seybert (2001-07-25). "Chasing the Ambulance Chasers". Court TV. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  3. ^ William Baldwin (2005-04-11). "Seventh-Amendment Follies". Forbes.
  4. ^ "Editorial:Our overlawyered society". Las Vegas Review Journal. 2000-05-01.
  5. ^ Olson, Walter (2013-04-16). "Overlawyered: now a Cato Institute blog". Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  6. ^ a b c Jacob Sullum, Reason, "Lawyer Trying to Protect His Reputation As an Effective Advocate Misses Deadline for His Libel Suit", August 6, 2010
  7. ^ "COURT DISMISSES DEFAMATION CLAIM AGAINST LEGAL BLOG - Law Firm White and Williams LLP Attorneys Philadelphia, Pennsylvania". www.whiteandwilliams.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18.
  8. ^ a b Shannon P. Duffy, The Legal Intelligencer, Discovery Rule for Libel Doesn't Apply to Blogs, Says Federal Judge, August 6, 2010
  9. ^ Jeff Blumenthal, Philadelphia Business Journal, Overlawyered blog case testing statute of limitations for defamation, August 6, 2010
  10. ^ Sullum, Jacob (September 19, 2011). "HIT & RUN BLOG Update on Arthur Alan Wolk's Lawsuit Against Reason". Reason Magazine. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  11. ^ Olson, Walter (2020-05-31). "A good run: Overlawyered, 1999-2020". Overlawyered.com. Cato Institute. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
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