Feinstein v. Currie, decided by Palm Beach (Fla.) County Circuit Judge Maxine Cheesman on Nov. 11, 2024 but just recently posted on Westlaw, involves two Facebook posts on the Town of Ocean Ridge Facebook page:
[1.] Hi yes, I'm wondering if wondering if Mayor Susan Hurlburt and her felching cronie [sic] Mark Feinstein are still being allowed to pollute our beautiful ocean with hazardous refuse?
[2.] Hey let me just go down to the beach in front of Susan Hurlburt and her felching cronie [sic] Mark Feinstein's house at Turtle Beach and get myself cut up on the signage they're trying to keep held in place by jagged metal footing.
Last month, the jury concluded that the statements were defamatory statements of fact (rather than "rhetorical hyperbole, a vigorous epithet, or opinion that cannot reasonably be interpreted as stating actual facts") said with knowledge or recklessness as to their falsehood, and awarded plaintiff $135K in compensatory damages. Back in November of last year, the court denied defendant's motion for summary judgment, concluding that the case should indeed go to the jury (though the opinion wasn't posted on Westlaw until several days ago, which is when I learned of the case):
