Alleged Slanderous Blogspot Blogs

(New York City)

The principal and other top administrators at a large New York City high school have sued Google in an attempt to get the search giant to turn over information that would help identify the culprit behind a pair of slanderous blogs that describe the educators as pedophiles, rapists, and racists.

In filings made last week in New York State Supreme Court, the educators seek a court order directing Google to disclose “all pertinent and useful information” concerning who was responsible for the creation of the two sites on the Google subsidiary Blogspot.

The blogs, a lawyer for the educators reported, surfaced last August and remain online. The unknown blogger, attorney Ken McCauley added, has “engaged in an extended and unrelenting campaign of defamation.” The blogs purport to be the creation of the “parents of students at Norman Thomas High School.”

One of the blogs targets Philip Martin, Jr., principal of Norman Thomas High School, one of Manhattan’s largest public schools. The second Blogspot blog focuses on Neil Monheit, assistant principal at the 1744-student school in midtown Manhattan.

I wouldn't be surprised if the author(s) of the blogs were disgruntled teachers.