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James Woods Sues Twitter User Over ‘Cocaine Addict’ Accusation

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 10:56 PST, Jul 30, 2015

Actor James Woods has filed a $10 million suit against a Twitter user, “Abe List,” for alleged defamation.

The complaint was filed on Wednesday in L.A. Superior Court, according to Mashable, asserting that the anonymous account (which has since been suspended) had jeopardized Woods’ reputation “on an international scale.”

“AL’s reckless and malicious behavior, through the worldwide reach of the internet, has now jeopardized Woods’ good name and reputation on an international scale,” Woods’ complaint reads. “AL, and anyone else using social media to propagate lies and do harm, should take note. They are not impervious to the law.”

The account replied “cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting” to one of the actor’s own tweets regarding media priorities on July 15, as the Guardian reports. While the identity of the account’s owner has yet to be revealed, the Hollywood Reporter asserts that the user’s profile suggests the person behind Abe List lives in Los Angeles, works in private equity and is married to an attorney. It also states that the defendant likely possesses a Harvard education.

While many of the statements made by the anonymous Twitter user likely fall into the category of non-actionable opinion, the assertion that Woods is a cocaine addict may be enough to qualify as defamation. As a public figure, Woods would have to prove malicious intent, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and the complaint references it directly.

“In fact, Woods is not now, nor has ever been, a cocaine addict, and AL had no reason to believe otherwise, Rather AL’s outrageous claim is the culmination of a malicious on-line campaign by AL to discredit and damage Woods’ reputation, a campaign which began as early as December 2014.”

The complaint also addresses the number of followers both the Abe List account and Woods’ own Twitter handle have amassed, asserting that the thousands of users who subscribe to both have witnessed “a campaign of childish name-calling” directed at Woods.

“In the past, AL has referred to Woods with such derogatory terms as ‘prick,’ ‘joke,’ ‘ridiculous,’ ‘scum’ and ‘clown-boy.'”

Woods is a vocal Republican, and he has claimed in the past that his political stance has cost him work, as the Inquisitr previously reported. The complaint does not address whether James Woods made any attempt to block the user or if he filled out a form which Twitter makes available to users in an attempt to curb abuse.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images]

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