Passionate America Blogger Threatened by Lawyer for Former Page

Blogger William "Wild Bill" Kerr, who discovered the identity of the former page who exchanged lurid instant messages with disgraced Congressman Mark Foley, has received a threatening email from the former page's lawyer. Stephen Jones, who represented Timothy McVeigh, confirmed that he sent this email to Kerr:

Dear William Kerr and Passionate America:

Please be advised that I represent Jordan Edmund. It is our understanding that you and Passionate American are identifying Mr. Edmund with certain Instant Messages ("IMs"). You have indicated that ABC News mistakenly published these alleged Ims and that you should not have been able to obtain this information. Whether this is true or not is beside the point. Without any foundation or legal permission, you are stating that our client is the person associated with the Ims. Neither ABC News nor Brian Ross have been error free in their reporting in the past. You should not assume that they are correct now. Like all individuals and institutions, they occasionally make mistakes. Therefore, I respectfully demand that you cease any further efforts to identify our client with these alleged Ims and cease publishing such information on Passionate America. Neither you nor Passionate American is authorized to use any photograph of him, his name or his personal information. You should consult with an attorney who is experienced in civil and criminal liability regarding the internet. If you are correct that ABC News should not have released the alleged AOL screen name and that ABC News has risked civil and criminal liability because of the unauthorized release, then your republication of the unauthorized release likewise exposes you to possible liability.

Sincerely,

Stephen Jones
JONES, OTJEN, DAVIS, NIXON & JUHL

Rather than take down the post, Kerr decided to publish Jones' email message. Kerr is asking for legal advice from anyone who wants to help.