Adding to her list of dubious achievements, rocker Courtney Love has been sued by an Austin, Texas, fashion designer in what may be the first case of “vile and defamatory” Twitter postings.

Dawn Simorangkir, aka “Boudoir Queen,” alleges in her suit that Love went on “an extensive rant” on the Internet after she billed her for some custom clothing she had made for her. Love apparently expected to get the clothing for free.

According to the suit, the Twitter-ranting included no fewer than 10 defamatory tweets posted within the space of 21 minutes –- a spectacular average of one tweet every 2.1 minutes. Love also allegedly posted defamatory material on her MySpace page and on Etsy.com, an online marketplace used by independent fashion designers.

“Whether caused by a drug induced psychosis, a warped understanding of reality, or the belief that her money and fame allow her to disregard the law, Love has embarked [o]n what is nothing short of an obsessive and delusional crusade to terrorize and destroy Simorangkir, Simorangkir's reputation and her livelihood,” the complaint says.

Tweets cannot exceed 140 characters, yet Love has apparently mastered the form, managing to pack all manner of vitriol into her pithy postings. Among other things, she allegedly said Boudoir Queen “has a history of dealing cocaine” and called her an “asswipe nasty lying hosebag thief.”

The suit was filed March 26 -- only nine days after the “rant.” It also says Love threatened Boudoir Queen's life by twittering,

oi vey don't fuck with my wradrobe [sic] or you will end up in a circle of corched eaeth [scorched earth] hunted til your dead.

Boudoir Queen -- who describes her style as "Art Deco meets rock-n-roll" -- not only seeks compensatory damages on claims including defamation, invasion of privacy, and infliction of emotional distress but also punitive damages “in order to deter Love from repeating these horrendous acts.”

Love, the lead singer of the band Hole and widow of Kurt Cobain has specialized in erratic behavior. In 2005, she pleaded no contest to assaulting another female rock singer with a liquor bottle as part of a deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to attend anger management counseling.

Boudoir Queen's suit suggests Love may need a refresher course, but she could well argue that much of her twittering –- such as “asswipe” and “hosebag” -- is expression of protected opinion, rather than verifiable assertion of fact.

Another possible defense is even if Love falsely accused Simorangkir of drug dealing and other crimes, the audience for her tweets, knowing her flair for the outrageous, would not reasonably believe she was asserting facts.

Before the Internet, of course, celebrities did not make a habit of exposing their innermost thoughts so publicly and so instantaneously. At the very least, Love may learn the price of such openness.

By Matthew Heller
3/27/09