TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Paul Burch on Nov 6, 2023

A Tennessee resident's lawsuit against actress Kathy Griffin has been revived after the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the state has jurisdiction over Griffin for her social media posts, the Tennessean reports. The Oct. 31 decision could have broader implications on the jurisdiction and legal liability of free speech in online platforms. In 2021, a video of Samuel Johnson's altercation with a teenage promgoer in Franklin went viral. Shortly after the video was posted to Twitter (now X), Griffin reposted the video with Johnson’s name and hometown and tagged Johnson’s employer. Johnson was soon fired from his position as CEO of a Franklin-based telehealth company. Johnson sued Griffin in federal court for interference with his employment, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and negligent injury. The district court dismissed the lawsuit in March 2023 for lack of personal jurisdiction over Griffin.