Florida Website Immunity From Injunction - Defamation

Florida website receives Immunity From Injunction based upon user generated content where Defamation was alleged.  Here is part of the opinion just issued.

Excerpts from Opinion filed December 28, 2011.

"The Florida Supreme Court has held that the CDA provides absolute immunity to interactive computer services like XXX (Name Omitted). In Doe v. America Online, Inc., 783 So. 2d 1010 (Fla. 2001), an internet service provider that had allowed third parties to publish allegedly illegal postings on the internet was deemed immune from suit. Relying on the Fourth Circuit decision in Zeran v. America Online, Inc., 129 F.3d 327 (4th Cir. 1997), the Florida Supreme Court held that “section 230 expressly bars ‘any actions’ and we are compelled to give the language of this preemptive law its plain meaning.” Doe, 783 So. 2d at 1018. Further, the Court adopted the reasoning of Zeran unambiguously, stating that it was accepting Zeran’s account of the scope and purpose of the CDA “as a basis for our reading of section 230.” Doe, 783 So. 2d at 1015. That account included the statement that “Section 230 was enacted, in part, to maintain the robust nature of Internet communication and, accordingly, to keep government interference in the medium to a minimum.” Zeran, 129 F.3d at 330. Consequently, under Florida law, section 230 of the CDA “creates a federal immunity to any cause of action that would make service providers liable for information originating with a third-party user of the service.” Id."