Founder of Neo-Nazi Site Daily Stormer Should Pay $14M for Sending ‘Troll Storm’ After Jewish Woman

A federal magistrate judge ruled that the founder of the neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer should be ordered to pay $14 million to a Jewish woman after he organized a “troll storm” to attack her, NBC News reports.

Andrew Anglin, the founder and editor of the site, should be ordered to pay $14 million to Tanya Gersh, a Jewish Montana real estate agent, her husband, and their 12-year-old son after he encouraged his followers to threaten and attack her, Judge Jeremiah Lynch wrote. The opinion must still be approved by a US District Court judge. The judgement came after Anglin failed to appear for a deposition in April.

Lynch wrote that Anglin should pay more than $4 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages for "the particularly egregious and reprehensible nature of Anglin's conduct."

Lynch also recommended an order requiring Anglin to remove all comments about Gersh and her family from his site, noting that "the atrocious conduct directed at Gersh and her family has not entirely abated.”

Anglin called for ‘troll storm’ against Gersh:

In 2016, Anglin called for “an old-fashioned Troll Storm” against Gersh and her family after his site alleged that Gersh was behind a harassment campaign against the mother of alt-right leader Richard Spencer, who was a resident of the same Montana town as Gersh.

Anglin published Gersh’s phone number and home address, as well as her 12-year-old son’s Twitter handle.

"Tell them you are sickened by their Jew agenda,” Anglin wrote. “This is very important. Calling these people up and/or sending them a quick message is very easy."

Anglin refused to show up in court:

Gersh sued Anglin under the Montana Anti-Intimidation Act along with the backing of the Southern Poverty Law Center after she said she received hundreds of threats and anti-Semitic messages.

Anglin refused to appear for a deposition in April. His lawyers withdrew from the case and it’s unclear if he has any currently.

Last month, Anglin was ordered to pay more than $4 million in a defamation lawsuit by Muslim radio host Dean Obeidallah.

"A clear message has been sent to Anglin and other extremists: No one should be terrorized for simply being who they are, and no one should ever be afraid for being who they are," Gersh said in a statement on Monday. "This lawsuit has always been about stopping others from enduring the terror I continue to live through at the hands of a neo-Nazi and his followers, and I wanted to make sure that this never happens to anyone else.”

 

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