Bedfordtimesregister.com - Maple Heights resident says Perez Hilton site got her fired

by Miles Jung-Kilbreath

Reporter

Streetsboro -- A Maple Heights resident is seeking $25 million in damages from online tabloid Web site host Mario Lavandeira -- better known as Perez Hilton -- claiming she was fired from her job because Lavandeira posted an e-mail from her on his Web site.

Diane Wargo, who according to Portage County Auditor's office owns property in Streetsboro, filed a plaintiff's complaint July 14 in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas which also seeks a preliminary injunction against Lavandeira and his Web site to remove Wargo's "personal information" from the site.

In a press release, Lavandeira's attorney Bryan Freedman said the complaint is without merit.

According to the complaint, Wargo, 46, sent an e-mail from her work account, at Menorah Park Center for Senior Living in Beachwood, to Lavandeira, which he posted as his "e-mail of the Day" Dec. 27 on his Web site.

The e-mail, which the complaint states is in "the manner and language typical of Perezhilton.com," included insults of Lavandeira and actress Angelina Jolie.

The posting included Wargo's name and her work e-mail address, which the complaint claims caused an overload on Menorah Park's computer servers from angry fans sending messages to Wargo, along with "harassing" phone calls to Wargo's supervisors.

The complaint claims Wargo was fired from her job as a "direct result of the negative publicity and ongoing harassing e-mails and phone calls."

"Mrs. Wargo would not have been fired, but for the publication of her e-mail address," Wargo's attorney Brian Spitz said.

In a reponse also posted on perezhilton.com, Menorah Park Human Resource Director Jamie Herbst said Wargo's "unauthorized communication" was "inappropriate" and said the center was "doing everything in our power to insure this will not happen again."

"We apologize for any harm the unauthorized and inappropriate e-mail may have caused," Herbst said.

In the legal action, Wargo claims that she did not give Lavandeira permission to post her e-mail address and name, and claimed that doing so violated the site's posted privacy agreement.

In a press release, Freedman said the privacy agreement refers only to information needed to register for using the comments section of the Web site. It does not apply to e-mails, the release said.

But Spitz disagreed, saying Wargo's privacy personal information shouldn't have been published.

"Mrs. Wargo [expected] the defendants to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of her personal information," Spitz said. "We are striving for the best resolution toward the litigation."

No court hearing has been scheduled at press time.

E-mail:
mjung-kilbreath@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3942