(COMTEX) B: Bank Sues Over Internet Rumors
B: Bank Sues Over Internet Rumors
FORT PIERCE, Fla., Jul 28, 1999 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Harbor Florida Bancshares has sued the anonymous author of derogatory postings on a Yahoo! Internet message board, which included rumors of an imminent takeover.
The lawsuit, filed against John Doe in Santa Clara County Superior Court in Northern California, claims the messenger -- known only as ''maytricks-99'' was seeking to manipulate the company's stock price.
The author repeatedly wrote that Harbor Florida management should sell out to a bigger bank.
''Outside shareholders unite and storm the Bastille, er the downtown Fort Pierce office, and demand your $42 per share Monday morning,'' he wrote in one message.
Since May 5, Yahoo! users have posted 120 messages about Harbor Florida, 54 of them written by maytricks-99.
Harbor Florida sued for $25,000, plus costs, interest and attorney fees.
Harbor president Michael Brown would not comment on the specifics of the case, saying only that ''this is becoming a national problem.''
A spokesman for Yahoo!, based in Santa Clara, also declined comment. The Internet company is not named as a defendant in the suit.
Copyright 1999 Associated Press, All rights reserved.
-0-
|
