By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-30 16:42:22 | Updated at 2024-10-31 01:30:53
9 hours ago
A wealthy tech entrepreneur is suing an independent journalist who published his shocking domestic violence arrest report.
On September 14, 2023, the Executive Director of tech accountability nonprofit Tech Inquiry, Jack Poulson, posted an article on Substack that revealed Premise Data's then-CEO Maury Blackman was arrested for domestic violence.
According to the report, police were called to a San Francisco apartment on December 21, 2021, and arrested Blackman when they discovered his 25-year-old girlfriend with small cuts to her face and swelling on her left eye after she told police he had 'just started beating me.'
Blackman was never charged with a crime for the incident and police sealed the arrest reported in 2022, which makes it illegal to publish under California law, according the San Francisco Chronicle.
The outlet reported the tech executive is seeking $25 million in damages after filing a lawsuit against Poulson and Substack for negligence, invasion of privacy and defamation over the publication.
Former Premise Data CEO Maury Blackman (pictured) is suing a journalist for publishing his 2021 domestic violence arrest report
Blackman's attorneys said that the arrest report was sealed by a court order that a judge said was 'deemed not to have occurred.'
They argue that the arrest did not concern matters of public significance and is personal in nature, concerning only private individuals' private lives.
The lawsuit cites California penal code that states disseminating information from a sealed arrest is subject to a civil penalty and people who are not authorized to share that information are guilty of a misdemeanor.
'[Blackman] has suffered severe harm,' the lawsuit said. 'Among other things, [Blackman's] employment ended on December 10, 2023; [his] reputation amongst his friends, family and business associates has been forever altered.
'[Blackman] has suffered severe emotional distress; [he] has been unable to find subsequent employment, resulting in significant lost employment compensation and benefits; and [he] has been forced to spend money to cure this situation that will haunt him the rest of his life.'
However, Blackman's LinkedIn account shows that he is currently serving as an advisor and board member for several companies.
Court documents state that the City and County of San Francisco, Office of the City Attorney sent a letter to Substack on September 19 advising them to take the report down.
The Executive Director of tech accountability nonprofit Tech Inquiry, Jack Poulson (pictured), posted an article on Substack that revealed Blackman was arrested
'The Incident Report was previously sealed by court order... Pursuant to 11 California Penal Code section 851.92(c) and your own 'Acceptable Use Policy,' we expect that you will immediately remove the Incident Report and its contents from your website and ensure that the index to postings no longer allows for the Incident Report to be viewed or downloaded,' the lawsuit said.
Poulson's article with a redacted copy of the arrest report remain available on Substack.
DailyMail.com has contacted Blackman's attorneys, Poulson and Substack for comment.
A First Amendment lawyer told The Chronicle that laws punishing journalists for publishing information they obtained legally are unconstitutional.
'Journalists are entitled to publish documents that they lawfully obtained, specifically government documents,' said Seth Stern, advocacy director for the nonprofit Freedom of the Press Foundation and former chair of the American Bar Association's Media, Privacy and Advocacy Law Committee.
'Unless the city wants to take the position that a sealed arrest report is more sensitive than national security or (identifying) victims of terrible crimes, I don’t think they are in good standing.'
