Scathing response to a stupid legal threat from a sharp lawyer

A lawyer (or person claiming to be a lawyer) sent threatening letters to people who criticized a featured Etsy seller who they said was actually importing cheap furniture from Bali and passing it off as her own homemade goods. The legal threats were the work of a bumbling amateur, and drew a stupendous, blistering response from Kenneth P White, an attorney at Brown White and Newhouse LLP, who wrote on behalf of one of the threat-recipients.

UPDATE: Ecologica Malibu (Thanks, Lookforthewoman!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: christ what an asshole • etsy • Funny • law

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KBert

Bumptious!
Follow the UPDATE link…
- http://doran.pacifist.net/ Doran
  
  I learned a word today!
farcedude

*Standing Ovation*
I love how, after two pages of extremely well cited legal smack down, he lays “the Streisand Effect” on them. I just hope Ecologica’s lawyer knows when to quit and go home.
robuluz

Man, that lawyer dude is in with those Etsy chicks!
eselqueso

I picture him looking and talking like the lawyer (Brian Unger) on Always Sunny in Philadelphia when Charlie challenges him to a duel.
- http://twitter.com/ArizonaGeek ArizonaGeek
  
  Exactly how I pictured it!
farcedude

Also, if you look here:

http://www.regretsy.com/2012/04/21/the-etsy-featured-reseller-ecologica-malibu/

And scroll way down towards the bottom, you’ll notice a bill of lading. Look at the consignee:

Howard R. Schechter and Mariana C. Schechter.

So: brother/sister, or husband/wife? Any bets?
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  So: brother/sister, or husband/wife? Any bets?
  
  Maybe all of the above.
  - LinkMan
    
    Hey that’s liable!
Palomino

There is an Esty seller who I tried to get barred. He’s states “This is a print of an original photograph of a Banksy graffiti art. The image is 8×10 and is professionally printed on 8.5×11 archival Kodak paper for true colors and decades of enjoyment.”

I performed a TinEye image search from his site, 27 results, his was number 19.
Scammer.
Warren_Terra

Pretty good response to an asinine lawyer letter, but I don’t think it beats this classic:

Dear Mr. Cox:

Attached is a letter that we received on November 19, 1974. I feel that you should be aware that some asshole is signing your name to stupid letters.

Very truly yours,

CLEVELAND STADIUM CORP.

James N. Bailey,
General Counsel
- eerd
  
  Or perhaps Arkell vs Pressdam?
  
  http://www.captainblack.co.uk/priveye/
Nezrite

Wow, I’ve actually become able to identify Ken White’s work from a mere snippet! <3 Popehat.
anansi133

From the headline it sounds like the stupid legal threat came from a sharp lawyer.
- chgoliz
  
  +1
  
  The headline should read: Scathing response from a sharp lawyer to a stupid legal threat.
Talia

I have to wonder a little if Mr. White is more flattered or creeped out by the comments on that link. Hehe. Goodness his newfound legions of fans are, um, ‘adoring.’ :p

Good for him though.
picklefactory

This is the same outstanding fellow that dreamed up ‘snort my taint’ in re: cancer quack PR guy. :D
Kl-0

First of all, god bless the Popehat guy. Secondly, the real joke in this message is when Popehat says (I’m paraphrasing) that he has only seen this kind of demand letter from the mentally ill or pro se litigants (Pro se litigants are those who represent themselves, and who generally aren’t attorneys, but who often like to try to rock crazy non-existent causes of action and defenses and generally make everyone in court giggle). Good stuff, and I cannot recommend Popehat highly enough.