Interesting news.
Monday June 14, 1:24 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Hitsgalore.com Files $20 Million Lawsuit Against Internet Posters
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 1999-- Hitsgalore.com, Inc. (OTC
BB:HITT - news) today announced that it has filed a Complaint against one identified and five
anonymous Internet posters for Libel, Tortious Interference With Business Relations and Civil
Conspiracy in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The Complaint, entitled
Hitsgalore.com, Inc. v. Janice Shell, et al., Case No. 99-1387-CIV-T-26C, seeks damages in excess of
Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000.00).
The Complaint names Janice Shell, John Doe No. 1 a/k/a ''Paul Kersey,'' John Doe No. 2 a/k/a
''Mayor,'' John Doe No. 3 a/k/a ''Mr. Pink,'' John Doe No. 4 a/k/a ''mshater,'' and John Doe Nos.
5-100 as Defendants (collectively the ''Defendants''). The Complaint alleges that, beginning at least as
early as May 1999 and continuing through to the present, the Defendants intentionally and maliciously
published and republished a variety of false and defamatory statements about Hitsgalore.com in a
nationwide ''cybersmear'' campaign on electronic bulletin boards on the Internet maintained by Raging
Bull, Inc. (''Raging Bull'') and Silicon Investor, Inc. (''Silicon Investor''). These statements either
explicitly state or imply that Hitsgalore has engaged in illegitimate, illegal, dishonest, fraudulent, and
criminal business operations, when, in truth and fact, the Defendants knew or should have known that
such statements were false and libelous per se.
Steve Bradford, the CEO of Hitsgalore.com, believes that it is absolutely essential that all responsible
parties be held fully accountable for their activities, and this action is the first formal step for
Hitsgalore.com in taking the offensive against those seeking to destroy the reputation, damage the market
value of the Company's common stock and undermine the business affairs of the Company through
anonymous posting activity. Steve Bradford stated that: ''the Company intends to issue subpoenas to
Raging Bull and Silicon Investor to ascertain the identities of the John Doe Defendants, and to
aggressively undertake discovery in this case.'' The Company's attorneys are also investigating possible
defamation charges against David Evans, a Bloomberg reporter, for certain negative news articles which
the Company believes are misleading in nature.
Jeanette Wilcher, the Trustee of The Life Foundation Trust with whom the Company has various business
relations, stated that: ''I applaud, commend, and fully support the efforts of Hitsgalore.com in bringing the
anonymous Internet posters to justice.''
The Company would also like to gratefully acknowledge the substantial assistance it has received from
various persons throughout the country in investigating the Internet activity by the Defendants and others,
and welcomes further contact from individuals with knowledge of this cybersmear campaign.
If you have any information which you believe would be helpful to the Company in prosecuting this
matter, please contact Carl F. Schoeppl, Esq., or Daniel J. Becka, Esq., at Schoeppl & Burke, P.A., the
Company's litigation counsel, 4800 North Federal Highway, Suite 210-A, Boca Raton, Florida
33431-5176, Telephone: (561) 394-8301, Facsimile: (561) 393-6541, and E-Mail:
Schoeppl@aol.com. |
