Mobilisa, Inc. v. Doe

170 P.3d 712, 217 Ariz. 103, 518 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 25, 36 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2007, 2007 Ariz. App. LEXIS 225
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedNovember 27, 2007
Docket1 CA-CV 06-0521
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 170 P.3d 712 (Mobilisa, Inc. v. Doe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mobilisa, Inc. v. Doe, 170 P.3d 712, 217 Ariz. 103, 518 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 25, 36 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2007, 2007 Ariz. App. LEXIS 225 (Ark. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinions

OPINION

TIMMER, Judge.

¶ 1 This appeal presents our first opportunity to consider the First Amendment rights of internet users to engage in anonymous speech. In doing so, we decide whether the superior court erred by granting a request by appellee Mobilisa, Inc. (“Mobilisa”) to discover from appellant The Suggestion Box, Inc. (“TSB”), an Arizona email service provider, the identity of appellant John Doe 1 (“Doe”), a TSB account holder. For the reasons that follow, we adopt a three-step test for use in evaluating such requests. Although the superior court properly applied the initial two steps of this test, it did not consider the third step. We therefore remand for application of that step.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2 Nelson Ludlow is the founder and chief executive officer of Mobilisa, a Washington company that provides wireless and mobile communication systems to customers that include government and military entities. In light of the confidential nature of its business, Mobilisa secures its computer and email systems.

¶ 3 On June 21, 2005, Ludlow used his Mobilisa email account to send an intimate message to Shara Smith, who was involved in a personal relationship with Ludlow and was not employed by Mobilisa. Ludlow also sent a copy of the message (the “Ludlow/Smith email”) to his personal email address and to his mobile phone. Six days later, an unknown number of individuals, including members of Mobilisa’s management team, received an email from an anonymous sender with an address from theanonymouse-mail.com, which is owned and maintained by TSB, an Arizona corporation. The anonymous email contained the contents of the Ludlow/Smith email and the subject line, “Is this a company you want to work for?”

¶ 4 Mobilisa subsequently filed suit in the State of Washington naming John Does 1-10 as defendants and alleging violations of two federal laws relating to electronic communications, 18 United States Code (“U.S.C.”) sections 1030 & 2701 (2000),1 and asserting a [107]*107common law claim of trespass to chattel. The central contention of Mobilisa’s claims was that the defendants accessed Mobilisa’s protected computer systems and email accounts without or in excess of authorization. Mobilisa sought damages and injunctive relief.

¶ 5 In August 2005, Mobilisa filed an application pursuant to Arizona Rule of Civil Procedure 30(h) in the Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County requesting the court to issue a subpoena based on a commission for subpoena authorized by the Jefferson County Superior Court in Washington. Mobilisa sought to compel TSB to disclose the identity of the person who used its services to send the anonymous email. Upon a subsequently filed motion, the superior court granted Mob-ilisa’s request and permitted it to engage in limited discovery.

¶ 6 TSB subsequently filed a motion to vacate the discovery order, which the court granted on December 28. In its ruling, the court adopted the two-step approach used in Doe v. Cahill, 884 A.2d 451 (Del.2005), to decide whether the identity of an anonymous internet speaker should be compelled in light of the speaker’s First Amendment rights. Under Cahill, the speaker’s identity can be divulged if: (1) the requesting party makes reasonable efforts to notify the anonymous speaker of the discovery request and that person is afforded a reasonable time to respond, and (2) the requesting party demonstrates its cause of action would survive a motion for summary judgment. Id. at 460-61. The court then found that although Mobilisa had not satisfied the Cahill standard, it would be allowed an opportunity to supplement its application in an attempt to do so. The court further ordered TSB to notify its email account holder of Mobilisa’s subpoena request.

¶7 On February 23, 2006, TSB’s counsel filed an affidavit stating counsel had agreed, with TSB’s consent, to also represent Doe in this matter, and Doe had received notification on February 9 of Mobilisa’s request for his identity. Through counsel, Doe objected to Mobilisa’s request and asserted that he did not access or obtain the Ludlow/Smith email through Mobilisa’s computers.

¶8 On February 27, the superior court ruled that Mobilisa had made a sufficient showing to meet the Cahill standard and granted Mobilisa leave to conduct discovery regarding Doe’s identity. TSB and Doe (collectively “TSB-Doe”) timely appealed.2

¶ 9 We review the superior court’s ruling on a discovery matter for an abuse of discretion. Brown v. Sup.Ct., 137 Ariz. 327, 331, 670 P.2d 725, 729 (1983). The court abused its discretion if it committed an error of law in formulating its ruling. Grant v. Ariz. Pub. Serv. Co., 133 Ariz. 434, 456, 652 P.2d 507, 529 (1982). Whether the superior court applied the correct legal standard in reaching its discretionary conclusion is a matter of law that we review de novo. State v. Sanchez, 200 Ariz. 163, 165, ¶ 5, 24 P.3d 610, 612 (App.2001).

[108]*108DISCUSSION

I.

¶ 10 TSB-Doe argues that although the superior court correctly adopted Cahill, the court misapplied that standard. In contrast, Mobilisa contends the superior court applied the wrong standard, but reached the correct result.3 Before addressing TSB-Doe’s arguments concerning the superior court’s application of Cahill, therefore, we first determine the appropriate standard to apply in balancing an anonymous internet speaker’s First Amendment right to engage in free speech against the need for discovery of the speaker’s identity.

A.

¶ 11 The United States Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects a person’s right to speak anonymously, Buckley v. Am. Constitutional Law Found., 525 U.S. 182, 199-200, 119 S.Ct. 636, 142 L.Ed.2d 599 (1999); McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Comm’n, 514 U.S. 334, 341-51, 357, 115 S.Ct. 1511, 131 L.Ed.2d 426 (1995); Talley v. California, 362 U.S. 60, 64-65, 80 S.Ct. 536, 4 L.Ed.2d 559 (1960), and that the protections of the First Amendment fully extend to speech on the internet, Reno v. Am. Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844, 870, 117 S.Ct. 2329, 138 L.Ed.2d 874 (1997).4 Because a court order is state action that is subject to constitutional restraint, courts have acknowledged that the issuance of discovery orders and subpoenas compelling disclosure of the identities of anonymous internet speakers raises First Amendment concerns. See, e.g., Sony Music Entm’t, Inc. v. Does 1-40, 326 F.Supp.2d 556, 563 (S.D.N.Y.2004); 2TheMart.com, 140 F.Supp.2d at 1091-92; Dendrite Int’l, Inc. v. John Doe No. 3, 342 N.J.Super. 134, 775 A.2d 756, 760-61 (App.Div.2001); Cahill, 884 A.2d at 456.

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Bluebook (online)
170 P.3d 712, 217 Ariz. 103, 518 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 25, 36 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 2007, 2007 Ariz. App. LEXIS 225, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mobilisa-inc-v-doe-arizctapp-2007.