Commentz Korner | The 'under-belly' vs. the law

Real estate agency owner Christakis Shiamili sued the operators of a blog purporting to expose “the under-belly" of New York City's real estate market, after anonymous readers posted comments accusing him of anti-Semitism, domestic violence and mistreating his employees.

But Shiamili lost that case in a close decision handed down last week from New York State's highest court, according to this New York Times story today. The State Court of Appeals held that the blog's operators are protected under the Communications Decency Act, which shields such operators from liability when they publish and edit material, rather than author it.