French Author Sues Over Book Review

Harsh reviewers beware: A senior lecturer at the Academic Center of Law and Business in Israel is taking a critic to court over a review of her book. Karin Calvo-Goller wrote to the editor of the website where the review was published, saying, “I am aware of the extent of freedom of expression under the First Amendment. However, the extent of that freedom ends where its exercise damages the reputation of an individual.” When the editor refused to take the review down, she sued both the editor and author of the review in a French court. “Every time I have to fill out a form asking if I have ever been convicted of a crime, I’d have to say yes,” said the editor, law professor Joseph Weiler of New York University. The final absurdity is that the review of her book, The Trial Proceedings of the International Criminal Court, wasn’t even that bad: Though condescending in tone, it praised Calvo-Goller, saying she “meticulously covers all relevant topics,” and faulted her for minor problems like “rehashing the existing legal set-up.” The court announces its verdict on March 3.