Pete Reid Law – Announcements Oct 2012

Pete Reid Law Victorious in Landmark Free Speech Case

Pete Reid Law, PLLC has successfully represented an individual who was sued after he posted comments about his experience with a Corporation on various consumer websites, including Yelp, Google, and Citysearch.

The Corporation filed a lawsuit against the individual in Texas claiming that the online comments were defamatory, and that the Corporation had lost profits and suffered damages in the amount of approximately $100,000.00.

At a hearing before a packed courtroom in June, Pete Reid presented arguments to District Court Judge Terry Flenniken that the lawsuit was an attempt to limit the exercise of an individual’s right to free speech on a matter of public concern, and that the Corporation could not establish a prima facie case for defamation. Judge Flenniken agreed and threw out the lawsuit ordering that the individual should also recover reasonable attorneys’ fees and sanctions from the Corporation under the new Texas Citizens Participation Act.

The lawsuit is one of only a handful of cases to have been decided under the new Act, and one of the very first in Texas where a Judge has awarded sanctions against a corporation to deter that entity from filing future lawsuits against free speech. You can read much more on this important case at petereidlaw.com.

The Launch of ‘Americans for an Independent Scotland’

In 2014, the Scottish government will hold a referendum of the Scottish people on the issue of independence from the United Kingdom. Together with two other influential Scots in America, Pete Reid has formed ‘Americans for an Independent Scotland’, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and informing Americans and Scots-Americans about Scottish independence in the run-up to the historic referendum.

In May, Pete Reid was invited to attend the launch of the ‘Yes Scotland‘ campaign in Edinburgh on behalf of the new organization. At the event Pete became one of the first people in Scotland to sign the Scottish Declaration of Independence alongside First Minister Alex Salmond, Scotland’s national poet Liz Lochhead, and the actors Brian Cox and Alan Cumming.

Pete was interviewed backstage at the event and part of that interview can be seen here or by clicking on the image above. Pete was also interviewed on the subject in the Sunday Herald newspaper, and you can read more about Americans for an Independent Scotland at americansforanindependentscotland.org.

Boxer Wins Right to Keep Signing Bonus in Complex Sports Litigation

Pete Reid Law, PLLC has successfully represented a professional boxer in a multi-state sports litigation matter in a dispute with his former manager over a signing bonus.

The manager and the boxer had entered into a contract, which included an agreement that the Brooklyn-based boxer would receive a new Audi R8 luxury sports car, valued at $168,000, as a bonus for signing the contract. Shortly afterwards the Austin-based manager tried to nullify the contract and sued the boxer to have the R8 returned.

Pete Reid Law’s aggresive tactics had the manager on the ropes early and ultimately led to an early knockout of the case from Travis County Court, and a settlement whereby the boxer became the undisputed owner of the luxury sports car.

Moreover the settlement required the former manager to pay the boxer more than $16,000 towards the boxer’s attorneys’ fees. You can read more about this case at austin-sports-law.com.

Pete Reid to Speak at Annual Federal Bar Conference in Hawaii

The Federal Bar Association of America has invited Pete Reid to speak at its annual conference this December in Honolulu. Other speakers will include the Chief Judge of the District of Hawaii Hon. Susan Oki Mollway and Hon. Sandra S. Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.