CFC Facebook

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I defamed nobody, since I didn't say (or type) anything that was untrue. If you keep accusing me of defamation (or slander or libel), THAT will in fact be defamation on your part.

You supported someone who made an untrue statement on Facebook and the CFC forum that made you and her seem ridiculous to everyone who knew anything about the situation. That statement by the other person was made in an attempt to injure the reputation of the two people who volunteered their time and considerable effort to save the candidates tournament by obtaining visas for the players and important FIDE staff members. Claiming that responding to defamation is in itself defamation is a poorly reasoned argument. My experience with going to court, to any tribunal, into any situation where the facts have to be weighed is that I will always go in prepared and if the tribunal is fair, and it always seems that they are, I will win.

I have been part of a defamation action. I know what is involved. The people on the other end of that action certainly regretted their actions when their lawyer read them the riot act and communicated to them just what they could be looking at by way of consequences and by the way when they had to pay their lawyer bills. In that case the law and precedents were unformed as it was more than twenty years ago. The laws are clearer now.

Let us close this chapter now but rule of thumb, if you are going to defame someone in the case of another or support defamatory statements in the case of you and others, try to make sure that one of the people that you are going on about on the other side are not top litigators. That's just unwise.

I am not happy that I had to censor someone on the CFC facebook page and the CFC forum for just the second time in my close to eleven years as CFC president.