Public Relations Society of America v. Road Runner High Speed Online

Citation
Public Relations Society of America v. Road Runner High Speed Online, 8 Misc.3d 820 (Supreme Ct., N.Y. Cty. 2005) (full-text).

Factual Background
Road Runner, an Internet service provider owned by Time Warner, was ordered to hand over documents that disclosed the identity of a person who sent an allegedly libelous e-mail about his or her company’s executive director to the company’s board.

Road Runner failed to appear at the November 2004 hearing for the motion, and Justice Payne granted the plaintiffs' motion for disclosure.

The company did, however, notify the mystery e-mailer, known in the decision as "John Doe," that his e-mail was the subject of a potential tort action.

Trial Court Proceedings
Doe moved to intervene in the proceeding, seeking to vacate the default judgment and block the disclosure of the identifying documents. Doe argued that his identity was protected by the First Amendment. The court held that it was not and ordered the documents produced.