Do we have a right to know the truth about the mortgage companies that melted down the economy?

Will New Hampshire Supreme Court defend the 1st amendment or the mortgage company?

New Hampshire Court Tramples on Constitution, Reporter's Privilege, Section 230, What Have You
April 8th, 2009
Citizen Media Law Project
by Sam Bayard

A reader recently tipped us off to a troubling ruling from a trial court in New Hampshire:

The Mortgage Specialists, Inc. v. Implode-Explode Heavy Industries, Inc., No. 08-E-0572 (N.H. Super. Ct. Mar. 11, 2009).

In the decision, Justice McHugh of the Superior Court for Rockingham County ordered the publishers of the popular mortgage industry watchdog site, The Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter ("ML-Implode"), to turn over the identity of an anonymous source who provided ML-Implode with a copy of a financial document prepared by The Mortgage Specialists, Inc. for submission to the New Hampshire Banking Department.

The court also ordered ML-Implode to reveal the identity of an anonymous commenter who allegedly posted defamatory statements about the company and enjoined the website from re-posting the financial document or the allegedly defamatory comments...