Overlawyered was a

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

on the subject of

tort reform Tort reform refers to changes in the civil justice system in common law countries that aim to reduce the ability of plaintiffs to bring tort litigation (particularly actions for negligence) or to reduce damages they can receive. Such changes a ...

run by author

Walter Olson Walter K. Olson (born 1954) is an author and blogger who writes mostly about legal subjects, including tort reform. Olson is a senior fellow of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C. Formerly, Olson was associated with t ...

. Founded in 1999, it is "widely considered to be the oldest legal blog and is also one of the most popular", according to Law.com. The subject of the site is alleged absurdities, excesses, and abuse of the American

tort law A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishabl ...

system. Its regular readership includes thousands of lawyers in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, as well as physicians, and readers in other countries considering American-style tort systems. On April 26, 2013, Olson announced the blog had affiliated itself with the

Cato Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch Ind ...

, where he is a senior fellow.

Dispute with aviation tort lawyer

In 2010, aviation tort lawyer

Arthur Alan Wolk Arthur Alan Wolk (born October 25, 1943) is an American attorney and author. He is the founding partner of The Wolk Law Firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which specializes in aviation law and air crash litigation for plaintiffs. Wolk is an au ...

sued Overlawyered, Olson, and contributors

Ted Frank Theodore H. Frank (born December 14, 1968) is an American lawyer, activist, and legal writer, based in Washington, D.C. He is the counsel of record and petitioner in '' Frank v. Gaos'', the first Supreme Court case to deal with the issue of '' c ...

and David Nieporent for libel over a post written by Frank.

Jacob Sullum Jacob Z. Sullum (born September 5, 1965) is a syndicated newspaper columnist with Creators Syndicate and a senior editor at ''Reason'' magazine. He focuses most of his writings on shrinking the realm of politics and expanding individual choice. ...

, ''

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...

''
"Lawyer Trying to Protect His Reputation As an Effective Advocate Misses Deadline for His Libel Suit"
August 6, 2010 Judge

Mary A. McLaughlin Mary A. McLaughlin (born 1946) is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McLaughlin received a Bache ...

ruled that Overlawyered is a "

mass medium Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit information ...

" and dismissed the case because Wolk did not file within the one-year

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

.Shannon P. Duffy, '' The Legal Intelligencer''
Discovery Rule for Libel Doesn't Apply to Blogs, Says Federal Judge
August 6, 2010Jeff Blumenthal, ''

Philadelphia Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor New ...

''
Overlawyered blog case testing statute of limitations for defamation
August 6, 2010 Wolk appealed his loss. In 2011, Wolk and Overlawyered reached a settlement.

Dispute with aviation tort lawyer

Termination

References

External links