R.I.P. Neal Johnston

I learned some very sad news today. Neal Johnston passed away this week. For those of you familiar with the Stephanie Adams case against me back in 2006 you know doubt are a fan of Neal's. His quick wit, sharp tongue and unwavering support of the first amendment were all on full display during this case. Neal's ability to shred bare the stupidity and gall of this lawsuit were truly amazing.

For those of you not familiar with the case here's a brief synopsis. I was an independent blogger/writer in 2006 when I wrote, what I thought was a fairly innocuous post, on an H-list celebrity. Boy was I wrong. That post was the catalyst for what turned out to be a $100,000 defamation/slander lawsuit against me. Neal heard about the case from his son and agreed to take my case pro bono. I could have never imagined how perfectly suited he was for the job. He took great pleasure in publicly humiliating Ms. Adams and her attorney. His letters were more poetic dripping with sarcasm than legal memos and that was the beginning of a three year long salvo of what amounted to a hill of beans.

Eventually, knowing there wasn't a leg to stand on, Stephanie quietly dropped the case and nothing much came of it. What is documented here is what I managed to salvage which, I believe, is most of the good stuff. The posts are in reverse chronological order so if you want to start from the beginning start with June 2006 and work your way up.

There's no way I could put into words what it meant to have Neal stand up for me when and how he did. It gave me the confidence and will to know what was right and stick to my guns. Every bit of time I was able to spend with Neal was always an extreme pleasure. Whether we were revving our engines at his law office or discussing life over a glass of wine at his house I always felt humbled and honored to be around such a truly wonderful and caring person.

You will be missed my friend.

Sincerely,
James Poling