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> One such company that relied on Defendants’ promises was WPE, founded in 2010. WPE is a true champion of WordPress, devoting its entire business to WordPress

> One such company that relied on Defendants’ promises was WPE, founded in 2010. WPE is a true champion of WordPress, devoting its entire business to WordPress over other similar open source platforms. In reliance on Defendants’ many promises, WPE invested hundreds of millions of dollars and 14 years of hard work building a successful business to serve that community—only to see the petulant whims of Mullenweg inflict harm to its business and the community that has embraced it. Is lawsuit language usually so... dramatic? The tone of this document is weird...

lolinder 2y ago
Complaints usually are, yes. I'm not a lawyer, but each one I've read has been a bit over the top and it feels like they're written as much for public consumption as they are for the judge. Maybe it's with the jury in mind?
- kubectl_h 2y ago
  Interesting. This might be the first one I've ever read. Makes sense though and that was the vibe I got from sections: that this is more like an opening statement in ways.
- pclmulqdq 2y ago
  The jury doesn't usually read the complaint. However, a lot of the words you see as dramatic have specific legal meanings. In this case "relied on promises" is in the language of the tort he is suing over. I don't think the "true champion" sentence has a specific meaning, but it is definitely written to imply that WPE enhanced the value of the WordPress brand.
  - lolinder 2y ago
    What about "petulant whims"? I don't think it's just legal language—I've read plenty of court opinions too, some dramatic, some not. Complaints seem particular prone to the dramatic.
    - pclmulqdq 2y ago
      I don't think "petulant whims" is legal language (not a lawyer, though). I'm assuming that's dramatization for the judge and the other side. By the way, the "champion" language I mentioned could actually be trademark-specific language that I'm not aware of.

lolinder 2y ago

Complaints usually are, yes. I'm not a lawyer, but each one I've read has been a bit over the top and it feels like they're written as much for public consumption as they are for the judge. Maybe it's with the jury in mind?

kubectl_h 2y ago
Interesting. This might be the first one I've ever read. Makes sense though and that was the vibe I got from sections: that this is more like an opening statement in ways.
pclmulqdq 2y ago
The jury doesn't usually read the complaint. However, a lot of the words you see as dramatic have specific legal meanings. In this case "relied on promises" is in the language of the tort he is suing over. I don't think the "true champion" sentence has a specific meaning, but it is definitely written to imply that WPE enhanced the value of the WordPress brand.
- lolinder 2y ago
  What about "petulant whims"? I don't think it's just legal language—I've read plenty of court opinions too, some dramatic, some not. Complaints seem particular prone to the dramatic.
  - pclmulqdq 2y ago
    I don't think "petulant whims" is legal language (not a lawyer, though). I'm assuming that's dramatization for the judge and the other side. By the way, the "champion" language I mentioned could actually be trademark-specific language that I'm not aware of.