Vangheluwe v. Got News, LLC

365 F. Supp. 3d 850
District Court, E.D. Michigan·Decided February 6, 2019·No. Case No. 18-cv-10542·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

LAURIE J. MICHELSON, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Doxing, short for "dropping documents," is the practice of disclosing a person's identifying information (e.g., their home address) on the Internet to retaliate against and harass the "outed" person. This opinion addresses an issue of first impression: when a defendant drops a plaintiff's documents on the Internet, does the defendant's doxing amount to constitutionally minimum contact with the state where the plaintiff resides? On the facts of this case, the Court finds that the defendant's disclosure of the plaintiff's home address on Twitter is the type of doxing that creates minimum contacts with the plaintiff's home state.

*853I.

A.

This case arises from a tragedy that occurred on the heels of the "Unite the Right" rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia.

On August 12, 2017, rallygoers arrived at Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. Joe Heim, Recounting a Day of Rage, Hate, Violence and Death , Wash. Post, Aug. 14, 2017, https://wapo.st/2CssdbW; accord Fox News, Charlottesville White Nationalist Rally Blamed for 3 Deaths, Dozens of Injuries , Fox News, Aug. 12, 2017, https://fxn.ws/2PDJ2pW. They "arrived in contingents, waving nationalist banners and chanting slogans. Many carried shields and clubs." Heim, supra. The rallygoers were met by counter-protesters: "Members of anti-fascist groups yelled at the rallygoers. Many of them also carried sticks and shields." Id. Shortly before 11:00 a.m., a fight broke out between the rallygoers and the counter-protesters. Id. Fortunately, law enforcement was able to subdue the violence without anyone suffering serious injuries. Id. In fact, the rallygoers headed toward downtown Charlottesville and the counter-protesters did not follow. Id. "[I]t felt like a major disaster had been averted." Id.

Tragically, that was not the case. Suddenly, a gray, 2010 Dodge Challenger plowed into a crowd of pedestrians. See Fox News, supra. "Heather Heyer, 32, of Charlottesville was killed, and 19 others were injured." Heim, supra. By the evening of the attack, James Alex Fields Jr. was identified as the driver of the Challenger.

But a few hours is a long time in today's world of online-only news organizations and social media. Shortly after the attack, users of a 4Chan.org forum (the "/pol/" or "Political Incorrect" forum, to be specific) searched vehicle records for the Dodge Challenger. 4Chan users found public records indicating that the car was, at one point, owned by Plaintiff Jerome Vangheluwe. (ECF No. 50, PageID.936.) A reporter for Defendant GotNews, LLC somehow obtained the information from the 4Chan.org board. (ECF No. 50, PageID.937.) And with the name Jerome Vangheluwe in hand, the GotNews reporter located the social media pages of Jerome's then 20-year-old son, Plaintiff Joel Vangheluwe. (Id. )

Based on the information gathered (or, from the Vangheluwes' perspective, lack of information gathered), GotNews identified Joel Vangheluwe as the person who had just killed one and injured 19 in Charlottesville. The article started this way:

*854(ECF No. 91, PageID.1323; accord ECF No. 12, PageID.468.)

Several other online news entities also identified Joel as the Charlottesville driver.

But it was not just online news outlets that implicated the Vangheluwes. People took to Facebook and Twitter. For instance, Lori Twohy posted the following on her Facebook page:

*855(ECF No. 1, PageID.107.) The redacted portion contained Jerome's home address. A number of people posted something very similar: Jerome's name, followed by his home address, followed by the year and make of the vehicle, and then the VIN. (See e. g. , ECF No. 1, PageID.105.)

As for the three defendants who have filed motions challenging jurisdiction, each tweeted about Jerome, Joel, or the GotNews article. Defendant Lita Coulthart-Villanueva tweeted the following (with the address information redacted by the Court): "Killer confirmed. Jerome Vangheluwe[,] [XXXX] Rd, [XXXX] TWP MI 480[XX,] 2010 Dodge Challenger VIN #: ..." (ECF No. 12, PageID.537; see also R. 19, PageID.1386.) Defendant Richard Weikart tweeted: "Joel Vangheluwe from Romeo, Michigan Car OHIO LICENSE PLATE # GVF 1111 2010 GRAY DODGE CHALLENGER #Charlottesville was the attacker ..." (ECF No. 12, PageID.557.) And Defendant Paul Nehlen tweeted a link to the GotNews article. The tweet included the title of the article, "BREAKING: #Charlottesville Car Terrorist Is Anti-Trump, Open Borders Druggie." (ECF No. 12, PageID.559.)1

B.

While James Alex Fields Jr. was actually driving the Dodge Challenger that Jerome had sold years earlier, the Vangheluwe family was busy hosting a wedding for a family member at their home in Michigan. (ECF No. 12, PageID.416.) "During that wedding the Vangheluwes' social media, emails, and text messages became overwhelmed with messages and posts." (Id. ) According to Joel and Jerome, "the Vangheluwes began receiving countless anonymous threats." (ECF No. 12, PageID.457.)

*856In fact, they say, "Michigan State police were notified and the family was warned to leave their home." (Id. ) "Clients of Jerome Vangheluwe's business also became fearful after the online threats." (Id. )

To recover for the harm from the misidentification, Jerome and Joel filed this lawsuit against two news entities and twenty individuals. The Vangheluwes believe that the defendants "targeted [them] as political pawns in a 'doxing' campaign, shifting the blame from alt-right extremists to an innocent 20-year-old boy who never owned or drove the car in question." (ECF No. 12, PageID.416.) Plaintiffs have asserted three state-law tort claims against each defendant: defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false light. (ECF No. 12, PageID.458-461.)

C.

This opinion addresses four pending motions. Nehlen (a Wisconsin citizen), Weikart (Indiana), and Coulhart-Villanueva (California) each claim that this Court lacks personal jurisdiction and cannot require him or her to defend the Vangheluwes' claims in Michigan; each thus seeks dismissal pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2). (ECF Nos. 35, 42, 47.) And, as (foot)noted, the Vangheluwes' seek leave to file a sur-reply to Nehlen's motion. (ECF No. 53.)

II.

A.

The Vangheluwes have the burden of showing that Nehlen, Weikart, and Coulhart-Villanueva can be called to answer in Michigan. But when, as here, there has been no jurisdictional discovery and no evidentiary hearing, the Vangheluwes' burden is "relatively slight": they need only make a "prima facie showing that jurisdiction exists." Air Prod. & Controls, Inc. v. Safetech Int'l, Inc. ,

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Vangheluwe v. Got News, LLC, 365 F. Supp. 3d 850 (E.D. Mich. 2019).

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