Envision5000 |
01-26-2006 04:06 PM |
AOL Wins $5M Judgment Against Spammer
Did the judge go overboard? Where will this kid get 5 million dollars? A fine of 15,000 dollars would be enough.
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Christopher William Smith, of Prior Lake, Minn., was considered one of the world's worst spammers, operating under the name Rizler. He is now in jail in Minnesota awaiting trial on criminal charges that he violated federal drug laws while operating an online pharmacy.
On Tuesday U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton issued a summary judgment against Smith ordering him to pay $5.3 million in damages and $287,000 in legal fees to AOL, which filed a civil suit against Smith under the Can-Spam act.
AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said Smith "was the poster child for the Can-Spam Act," which Congress enacted in 2004 to crack down on unsolicited junk e-mail.
"This is someone we've been pursuing for three years," Graham said. "It's one of the largest judgments we've received."
Hilton issued a summary judgment in favor of Dulles-based AOL after Smith "refused to participate in this case, willfully disregarding ... discovery obligations and failing to comply with multiple court orders," according to the judge's order.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060126/..._pharmacy_spam
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