LOS ANGELES -- Sorry, James Woods, but even Twitter trolls are protected by the First Amendment.
The Oscar-nominated Salvador star lost his legal bid to dox an anonymous Twitter user who called him a "cocaine addict" and other things the actor claims are defamatory, according to court documents obtained by Mashable.
As we reported in July, Woods filed a $10 million complaint against the account "Abe List" (@abelisted, since suspended and then reinstated) in Superior Court, saying the tweets jeopardized Woods' reputation. Woods asked the court to reveal the user's identity as part of the lawsuit's discovery process.
But a judge ruled this week that under California law, to do so would be premature -- Woods has to prove that he's got a good shot at winning his case before learning who's behind "Abe List." The filing from Friday:
Order denying James Woods' motion to out his Twitter troll.
Woods has a prolific, highly conservative Twitter presence. Among the responses lobbed at him by Abe List on July 15: "Cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting." Woods denied ever being a cocaine user, and said the user had been trolling him going back to December.
Though Abe Lists's account is no longer suspended, the profile does not allow followers. Current bio: "Preserving this account but making it inaccessible because of vindictive legal bullying & documented concerns about dangerous angry threats."