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If the article was that bad, how come he went through the trouble of hiring attorneys to draft letters accusing the author of defamation, threaten action, and n
by WhitneyLand 9y ago
If the article was that bad, how come he went through the trouble of hiring attorneys to draft letters accusing the author of defamation, threaten action, and never took it any further?
There was never any apology or retraction seeming to remove settlement an a possible result.
I have no reason to doubt the claims against the article, at first glance there are a significant number of credible sources supporting the idea the article was flawed, yet the claims were ineffective legally.
Of course it’s not easy or cheap to pursue a case of defamation, however, I think it money was the issue he could have rallied some public support. If I were asked, it’s certainly an issue I would do the due diligence on and contribute something to if it made sense.
edit: btw why is no one making a movie about this? There are so many fascinating aspects, the grand challenge, the controversy, the mathematician who declined a million dollar prize. I’d love to do even a documentary on it, or watch one if it’s been done.
- qmalzp 9y agoProbably because at the end of the day, he doesn't want to fight some legal battle, he wants to do mathematics.
- hyperpape 9y agoIn addition (not a lawyer here, but I believe this is well established territory), defamation is difficult to prove, and suing someone over an article almost always carries some negative press, regardless of the merits.
- WhitneyLand 9y agoThat’s the point, I mentioned the difficulty in fact. But he chose to step across that bridge and then abandon it. What else can we conclude other than, heat of the moment emotional decision, or that the merits were, if morally strong enough, not legally strong enough?