Is It Defamation To Call The Couple Who Got Into White House Dinner 'Party Crashers'?

from the publicity-stunters? dept

Mon, Aug 9th 2010 2:01pm — Mike Masnick

THREsq points us to the news that the lawyer for Michaele and Tereq Salahi, most well-known for um... attending a White House State Dinner for which they were not on the attendance list... that if you refer to them as "party crashers," they may sue you for defamation. Good luck with that. As Matthew Belloni notes in that blog post:

Our quick Google search for "white house party crashers" delivers 158,000 results, the first few pages of which all feature the Salahis. And we're pretty sure we've never heard Ms. Salahi, currently starring on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of D.C.," referred to as anything except "White House party crasher Michaele Salahi."

I can't see how any court would hold up a defamation claim here. While the Salahis' lawyer points out that the couple was not charged with anything, that assumes that "party crashing" is only defined by whether or not it is a crime. It is not. Showing up at a party to which you're not on the invite list seems like the textbook definition of party crashing. Now, they're also claiming that they thought they were invited, but even if that's the case, it doesn't change the fact that they were apparently not on the guestlist.

It also seems pretty strange to send out a press release warning journalists of this point... and to do so eight months after the event in question. While the other complaint in the press release is that journalists have suggested the Salahis did this as a publicity stunt for a reality TV show, it really must make you wonder why they're suddenly bringing it back up again, many months later, after pretty much all talk about the couple has died down.

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Filed Under: defamation, journalism, michaele salahi, tereq salahi

16 Comments

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PopeHilarius (profile), 9 Aug 2010 @ 1:19pm

It does not in fact make me wonder
While the other complaint in the press release is that journalists have suggested the Salahis did this as a publicity stunt for a reality TV show, it really must make you wonder why they're suddenly bringing it back up again, many months later, after pretty much all talk about the couple has died down.

You're answering your own question here. It's an attempt to get press attention... again. And look! It's worked!

You often highlight how abusing the legal system can lead to negative press, maybe you should be applauding the Salahis' creative legal tactics as a model for others.
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Andrew (profile), 9 Aug 2010 @ 2:45pm

er...
By calling them 'party crashes', how is it defaming them? That's their one claim to fame! You're virtually complimenting them.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Aug 2010 @ 2:46pm

8 months ago they didn't have the money for an attorney.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Aug 2010 @ 2:56pm

It's actually not "out of the blue" eight months later. There was a just a big dust-up regarding this on "The View" last week.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 9 Aug 2010 @ 2:57pm

Re:
"There was a just a big dust-up regarding this on "The View" last week."

Jesus, is there NOTHING we can do to get Oprah to eat those squaking magpies?
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Modplan (profile), 9 Aug 2010 @ 3:12pm

Re: Re:
Make them to look less like Magpies and more like food? Dip them in custard and cover them in sprinkles is one way.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Aug 2010 @ 3:14pm

Re: Re:
Oprah quit the scene. Those magpies are making a play for the power vacuum.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Aug 2010 @ 3:15pm

Euphemisn time.
Party invaders.
Unknown guests.
Party penetrators.
Party infiltrators.
Unwelcome party guests.
Attention whores.
Confused party goers.
Party seizers.
Security party dodgers.
Party explorers.
Party rushers.
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Wayfinder, 9 Aug 2010 @ 3:16pm

Not exactly on my Top Ten World's Most Important Issues. :D

Hey Michaele and Tereq Salahi... YOU'RE PARTY CRASHERS! NYAH NYAH NYAH!

(This comment is made in the form of satire as a form of public awareness and political protest and thus is immune to criminal prosecution blah blah blah...)

LOL

Sorry, some things one can just NOT resist...
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Aug 2010 @ 3:19pm

Re: Re:
Put it on a stick.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Kentucky-Fried-WTF-on-a-stick/
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Colin Clifford, 9 Aug 2010 @ 3:34pm

Salahis
Obviously they are at the minimum gate crashers. However, a more appropriate description might be dirt balls. I would feel extremely comfortable defending the description of them as a pair of conniving dirt balls. Perhaps not the most polite language, but certainly defensible.
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ofb2632 (profile), 9 Aug 2010 @ 4:03pm

party crashers, party crashers, party crashers. there i said it 3 times, so sue me! i would love to counter sue!! they hurt my feeling when they stifled my freedom of speech. And its factually correct!!!!
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Nick Mc, 9 Aug 2010 @ 4:32pm

New Deal?
Maybe Mr. Salahi has a reality show in the works and needs the publicity to game his spot, in a manner that worked for his wife. Just needs a little bit more publicity because, after all, haven't most of the non-National Enquirer readers basically forgotten about them? Can't have that now can we?
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bugmenot (profile), 9 Aug 2010 @ 5:56pm

Guilty as charged
The Salahis are broke dead beats who have multiple unpaid judgments against them in multiple courts. It looks like their creditors are catching on that they are getting $50K per episode so the summons are gonna start flying.f They already got hit with one at their premier party. Michaele has been trying to be famous for years. She lies constantly about her background. She says she was a redskins cheerleader although the redskins deny any connection. She says she was a make-up artist...well if you count the makeup counter at Nordstrums. She says she is an international and "national" (yes her words) model. Her big international modeling gig was a Japanese Mattress ad.
She is lying about being invited to the White House. They were Begging Michelle Jones from the Pentagon starting 3 days before the event. The only reason she asked for their information to be vetted was in case she got them tickets which Ms. Jones has stated she never got.
Public emails show they went to the WH not knowing if they were invited. Michaele said recently she would not go to the White House chancing it but their emails totally contradict that. Compare her statements she is making now and read the emails and you will see she was not invited. You are only famous for crashing the WH party and nothing more. No one cares about your style or clothes you wear. Get over yourselves!

Join our Facebook page: Tell the White House Party Crashers to Go Away http://www.facebook.com/WhiteHousePartyCrashers
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abc gum, 9 Aug 2010 @ 6:15pm

Would it be defamation to call them douche bags ?
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Aug 2010 @ 6:48am

Re:
Or, money grubbing idiots?

The Secret Service should have shot them both, then we could call them moldering corpses.
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