An update on the impending Gorilla coffee lawsuit:
New York Times watchblog NYTPick has published multiple excerpts from the Gorilla Coffee libel lawsuit. In their most recent post, they specifically name New York Times coffee scooper Oliver Strand as a defendant in case. Mr. Strand has been contacted by the Sprudge.com editorial staff, and his official statement on the matter is “No Comment”. Here’s some excerpts from NYTPick:
The owners of Gorilla Coffee, a popular Park Slope beanery, have boldly slapped the paper and its coffee correspondent with a libel lawsuit, over a blog post that reported last April on allegations of barista mistreatment by its owners.
The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court and read by The NYTPicker, alleges that the NYT published the Diner’s Journal blog post “with actual knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard as to its truth or falsity or with negligence.”
The suit names the NYT Company as a defendant, along with Oliver Strand — the NYT Dining section contributor formerly known as Oliver Schwaner-Albright, who wrote the offending post — and several former employees of Gorilla Coffee.
The last time a libel suit was filed against the New York Times was 2 years ago, when John McCain’s alleged lobbyist mistress sued the Old Grey Lady for implying she and the Senator were more than friends. NYT never printed a retraction of the McCain story, but if they lose here, they could be forced to go on record stating that Gorilla Coffee’s owners are reasonable, delightful people.
