Spamhaus’ Defense Lawyer to Argue Case Today
Spamhaus’ newly acquired lawyer goes before the judge today in an attempt to get the lawsuit by e-mail marketer e360 Insight and the resulting $11 million default judgment against the anti-spam blacklisting group dismissed.
Matthew Neumeier, an attorney with the law firm Jennifer and Block LLP in Chicago will go in front of Judge Charles Kocoras in federal court in Illinois to argue that e360’s suit against Spamhaus should be dismissed because Spamhaus is in the UK and the Illinois court has no jurisdiction over the anti-spam group.
“Our motion is to quash any activity in enforcing the judgment, because we think the judgment should be overturned and vacated,” said Neumeier. “I’m going to be in front of him tomorrow with all of this. It will be our first appearance before him.”
Neumeier said friends of the firm referred Spamhaus to Jennifer and Block. Neumeier also teaches high-technology litigation at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
The United States District Court Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division on Sept. 13 ordered Spamhaus to pay e360 Insight and its CEO, David Linhardt, $11.7 million in damages and just under $2,000 in litigation costs. The judge issued the ruling in default because Spamhaus failed to show up in court to defend itself.
When Spamhaus thumbed its nose at the ruling, Linhardt tried to get the judge to sign an order requiring the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and/or Web site registrar Tucows to shut Spamhaus’ domain down—an order the judge refused to sign, saying it was overbroad.
