Mark and Connie are APPEALING!! Report by Jordan Press

[Mark Fournier]

<a href="">Kingston Whig-Standard </a>
Posted By JORDAN PRESS
Posted 34 mins ago

Couple to appeal order to identify blog posters


A Kingston-area couple who run a conservative online forum will appeal a court decision ordering them to hand over personal details about eight anonymous posters at the heart of a defamation lawsuit.

Connie and Mark Fournier, who run the online forum Freedominion.ca,said yesterday that they will be in Ottawa today to file the necessary papers to formally appeal a decision handed down exactly one week ago.

That decision ordered the Elginburg couple to hand over personal information about eight "John Does" whose postings are alleged to have defamed an Ottawa- based lawyer. The court ordered the couple to divulge the information before the actual defamation suit is heard.

The couple said in an interview yesterday that they have received messages from people interested in fighting the case, worried about the precedent it may set for future Internet use.

"We didn't think we'd be able to (appeal)," said Connie Four - nier. "There are a lot of good legal minds that have said this has to be fought."

Mark Fournier said the couple doesn't have enough money right now to finance the appeal. They are hoping members of their website, bloggers and forum owners will donate to their legal fund.

"We will fight as long as there are funds to fight," said Mark Fournier, who ran for a seat at Queen's Park in Kingston in 2007 under the Freedom Party banner.

The couple said they don't feel online forum users should be able to post potentially illegal material anonymously, but should be found guilty first before they are unmasked.

"This ruling allows anybody to sue any forum owner," Mark Fournier said. "Internet ano - nymity is gone."

The case stems from a posting made about a year ago on Free dominion.ca.One member had posted comments about human rights lawyer Richard Warman.

The couple removed the postings after Warman messaged them about the comments, Connie Fournier said. She said Warman messaged the couple again when the comments reappeared on the website.

Connie Fournier said the couple decided to leave the comments on the website because they believed there might have been some truth to the information posted.

Warman, a Queen's University graduate, sued the couple for libel.

In January, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice heard a motion in the case. Warman asked a judge to have the Fourniers give him personal details about the eight anonymous posters.

The motion also asked for the court to order the Fourniers to hand over financial information about the website.

Last week, Justice Stanley Kershman ruled that the case dealt with an "anti-hate speech advocate" and a website deemed "controversial."

Kershman ordered the Fourn - iers to disclose e-mail addresses and personal information about the posters, the IP addresses of each user's computer, and documents related to the website's operation, including hosting agreements and billing information.

"In my view, the defendants are under an obligation to disclose all documents in their power or control," Kershman wrote in his ruling.

The Fourniers were also ordered to pay about $5,000 in legal costs.

Mark Fournier said that in light of the lawsuit, freedominion.cano longer keep records of any members, save for the eight involved in the case. He said he doesn't feel safe keeping the information in light of the ruling.

"It's not that we're on a slippery slope -- we've slipped to the bottom," he said.

Article ID# 1501128

___________________________________________________________

We are leaving shortly for Ottawa to file the Notice of Appeal and other required paperword.

THIS WILL NOT STAND!

- Mark and Connie

[Narrow Back]

I guess we both have Google Alerts. I posted this at the same time. Could a moderator please delete my post of this same article. Thank you.

Mark, I am very impressed how you and Connie are standing up for what is right. Well done and bravo.

Your friend,

NB

[Connie Fournier]

We are now in Ottawa. Ready to start the paper shuffle!

[fourhorses]

We are now in Ottawa. Ready to start the paper shuffle!

<img src=http://subbooks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/censored.png width=300 height=300>

[styky]

We are now in Ottawa. Ready to start the paper shuffle!

My thought and prayers go with you. Keep up the good fight.

[Thistle]

God speed to you both. You are one heck of a couple.

[Connie Fournier]

Waiting for the printing. Dum-dee-dum....

[J.B. Stone]

Waiting for the printing. Dum-dee-dum....

"Posterity - you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." – John Quincy Adams

[BlawBlaw]

Mark and Connie are appealing.

I guess that is up there with "the leftists are revolting".

[JurisNaturalist]

Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up. Galatians 6:9

Thanks to both of you for not giving up. Our thoughts and prayers are with you always

[TomFoolery]

I hope you are also challenging that particularly annoying presumptuous (and possibly unethical) clause in the order that was a finding not based on any argued evidence.

[Edward Kennedy]

Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up. Galatians 6:9

Thanks to both of you for not giving up. Our thoughts and prayers are with you always

...and our MONEY should also be included

[CdnRepublican]

Good always triumphs - even when it appears that evil is unbeatable.

Good luck and remember history and right, are on your side.

You will win.

[JurisNaturalist]

Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up. Galatians 6:9

Thanks to both of you for not giving up. Our thoughts and prayers are with you always

...and our MONEY should also be included

I agree and find that Paypal is the easiest way to send financial support!

[westcoast woman]

Thank you Mark and Connie for not giving up. The internet must be protected. The msm has been very lax as far as informing the public about government bureaucratic abuses of us citizens, we learn much more from the internet about what is happening all across our country.

Freedom is not free. We should all donate to this campaign.