FunnyJunk lawyer sues The Oatmeal, Indiegogo, charities

Charles Carreon, the lawyer originally hired by FunnyJunk to threaten Matthew Inman with a federal defamation lawsuit, has field a suit representing himself against Matthew, Indiegogo (the website where Matthew has raised nearly $200,000 for the National Wildlife Federation, and the American Cancer Society – AND named both charities in the suit. The suit alleges trademark infringement and incitement to cyber-vandalism.

Matthew has posted a response on his blog to the new suit. He says:

So when did this transform from Oatmeal VS FunnyJunk to Carreon VS the internet? I’m going to take a wild shot in the dark here and guess that it’s when you announced to a journalist at MSNBC that you were trying to shut down a charity fundraiser which would benefit cancer victims and endangered wildlife. THAT was the moment when the tide of public opinion focused on you instead of FunnyJunk. I never encouraged anyone to attack, harass, or otherwise contact you. In fact in my original letter I blurred out your contact information and I linked to your Wikipedia page instead of your website. If I’ve directed energy anywhere it’s been to the fundraiser page.

…

Your lawsuit is meritless and it’ll probably just get dismissed, but I’m guessing you’re just going to keep trying until you find an angle that sticks with a judge. My advice: take a few weeks off, stop saying crazy shit to journalists, and come back when you’ve calmed down. Write an apology to whomever you feel is appropriate, or just don’t write anything ever again.

The suit alleges Indiegogo and the two charities have not filed the proper paperwork for such a fundraising campaign. Indiegogo has issued a statement stating that the suit was “frivolous” and that they have “not seen any behavior to cause us to believe that this campaign doesn’t comply with Indiegogo’s Terms of Service.” No responses from the charities have been reported at this time.

For more background on this story, visit:
Lawyer Demands the Oatmeal Pay Him $20K Not to Sue Him and
Funnyjunk Lawyer Shocked by the Oatmeal Response
Fighting words to FunnyJunk lawyer: The Oatmeal will not cave