Multi-level marketer LuLaRoe (LLR, Inc. and LulaRoe, LLC) filed a discovery petition this week against blogger Christina Hinks, better known as Mommygyver. They hope to force Hinks to
“disclose the identity and contact information of potential defendents who have damaged LLR and its goodwill by providing Respondent with LLR’s confidential and proprietary business information, information about LLR and its merchandise, and false, derogatory information regarding LLR, much of which respondent has postedon her blog, www.mommygyver.com.”
The court filing goes on for 100 pages, but that’s the basic gist of their demand. It’s not a direct lawsuit, but a demand for Hinks to provide information under force of law. They want Hinks to shut up and reveal who told her things about LuLaRoe.
Hinks responded in a blogpost:
The things I’ve written about have been shared all over the internet- not just here with me. Many of these documents have been publicly shared in various groups for disgruntled consultants and customers.
To keep reading, click here: LuLaRoe Sues Blogger to Force Her to Identify Sources
And while I always love when you comment and share, it really chaps my hide when companies try to shut down bloggers, so if you’ve ever thought about sharing something, consider sharing this.
I subscribe to blogs on a wide variety of topics. I think this case will be a big eye opener for many bloggers. Many bloggers that I read view their writing as just a hobby but if you have a wide readership your writing may actually be influencing quite a few people and if someone can claim that your writing caused them harm, even as a hobby writer, you may be in real trouble.
It’s not slander or libel if it’s true.
Or can be defended under fair comment.
It also isn’t confidential and proprietary when you can find it all over the public domain.
Just scratched LuLuRoe off my list of places to buy leggings
(my uniform as a new family daycare provider). I’m going to be tactical about this and share this story with my Facebook parent groups i.e LuLu Roe’s groups full of LuLu Roe’s primary customer base.
Wow – talk about intimidation. Another piece of evidence proving the company is a cult. Are you next Suzanne? Thanks for continuing to cover this – MLMs and pyramid schemes continue to ruin many people’s lives….
Just give up, LuLaRoe, and slink off into the swamp of failed pyramid schemes! You stink!
In suits like this they don’t even care that much about the source. If she has to pay enough for a lawyer that it’s a hardship, she might shut down her blog. That’s what they want. And I understand there are lots of anti-LulaRoe blogs or even private pages to discuss how to be good sellers where they might discuss this.
I’m sure that’s their goal, but they picked the wrong blogger here. She’s not backing down.
The real question is can she afford to fight it. A moderately competent attorney is not cheap.
Hinks needs to find a very good First Amendment lawyer, maybe even pro bono, to fight the demand from LLR. There are some excellent attorneys who work in exactly this sort of situation.
I happen to know who her lawyer is, but she hasn’t given me permission to share that info. Let’s just say that LLR picked the wrong blogger to threaten.
I don’t know a great deal about the law in this area, but if I were them and saw the name, I’d be wishing I had not gone this route.
I have also met Christina, on the phone. She is definitely the wrong person to mess with, but keep in mind political speech is protected more than commercial speech. Here’s a relatively recent, and MLM related example: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jul/12/court-anonymous-web-posts-bring-limits-commercial-/