Georgia law and CNN.

[Michael Press]

Ted Cruz found this for us.


CNN might have broken Georgia law with a generous reading.

2010 Georgia Code
TITLE 16 - CRIMES AND OFFENSES
CHAPTER 8 - OFFENSES INVOLVING THEFT
ARTICLE 1 - THEFT
§ 16-8-16 - Theft by extortion
O.C.G.A. 16-8-16 (2010)
16-8-16. Theft by extortion


(a) A person commits the offense of theft by extortion when he
unlawfully obtains property of or from another person by
threatening to:

[...]

(3) Disseminate any information tending to subject any person to
hatred, contempt, or ridicule or to impair his credit or business
repute;

--
Michael Press

[Emperor Wonko the Sane]

Reading this statute on what CNN did takes more than generosity. What is it that CNN supposedly stole? The core of this crime is stealing. If their "dissemination" wasn't a threat to get the victim to hand over something, this statute doesn't apply at all.

Doug

[Michael Press]

In article <cd0dde23-9aee-42c1...@googlegroups.com>,

Restraint of trade. CNN gets to control what he can publish.

--
Michael Press

[plai...@gmail.com]

Restraint of trade doesn't sound like theft to me. However, I'm sure you can warp it into some fun house definition that only you understand.

[Michael Press]

In article <4b155162-cc8b-4c38...@googlegroups.com>,

plai...@gmail.com wrote:

> Restraint of trade doesn't sound like theft to me. However, I'm sure you can warp it into some fun house definition that only you understand.

Okay. It is restraint of trade but the statute does not apply.
CNN is extorting but it does not appear to be illegal.

[darkst...@gmail.com]

On Friday, July 7, 2017 at 2:23:16 PM UTC-7, Michael Press wrote:
> In article <cd0dde23-9aee-42c1...@googlegroups.com>,

> > Reading this statute on what CNN did takes more than generosity. What is it that CNN supposedly stole? The core of this crime is stealing. If their "dissemination" wasn't a threat to get the victim to hand over something, this statute doesn't apply at all.

> Restraint of trade. CNN gets to control what he can publish.

No property is being exchanged here. That's not theft.

That CAN be something else, but there's no property taken.

Mike