Colorado man faces criminal charge in libel case

The article about this case ran in the LA Times about a year ago. What makes it interesting though is, as the title says, the man who allegedly committed an act of libel is being charged as a criminal, unlike most libel cases that are tried in civil court. This is because Colorado is one of a dwindling number of states with criminal law against libel based on a statute that has existed in the state since the 19th century. The actual case revolves around J.P. Weichel, who allegedly posted comments about his former girlfriend on the Craigslist "rants and raves" forum, accusing her of child abuse and welfare fraud and making crude comments about her sex life. He claims he "just wanted to vent" about a visitation dispute with the woman over their young daughter. As news of the prosecution has circulated it has prompted critics of the statute law to call for a revision. One lawyer quoted in the article stated "It's shocking the statute exists." To read more about the story click here.