Robert Steinbuch vs Jessica Cutler

Washingtonienne lawsuit touches on the right to privacy:

“He’s very upfront about sex,” she wrote. “He likes talking dirty and stuff, and he told me that he likes submissive women.”

When Ana Marie Cox, then the editor of the popular gossip Web site Wonkette.com, discovered and linked to Cutler’s blog, the story spun out of control. Cutler was fired and Steinbuch says he was publicly humiliated. He went to court seeking more than $20 million in damages.

Does a good name cost that much?

Honestly, I wouldn’t study ethics under someone taking this kind of legal action.

Neither Steinbuch nor his attorney returned phone calls seeking comment. In court, attorney Jonathan Rosen said Steinbuch wants to restore his good name. Students in his legal ethics class all search the Internet and learn about the blog, Rosen said.

Oh, it hardly seems to have hurt his career.

“It’s not funny and it’s damaging,” Rosen told a judge. “It’s horrible, absolutely horrible.”

He really wants privacy? I don’t suppose it could just be spite?

“I don’t know why we’re here in federal court to begin with,” [U.S. District Judge Paul] Friedman told attorneys for both sides in April. “I don’t know why this guy thought it was smart to file a lawsuit and lay out all of his private, intimate details.”

Do you blog about your spouse or lover? Ever wonder if he or she might sue you?

Cyberspace sex scandal heads to trial