zTruth

Michael Savage drops lawsuit against CAIR over alleged threat

Talk about a big about face from just a few days ago when Savage proclaimed he would take this all the way to the Supreme Court.  Perhaps he had good reason:

A lawsuit filed by conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage against a Muslim civil rights group came to an end today when Savage's lawyer told a federal judge in San Francisco that he won't try to amend it.

Savage sued the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR, last year after it posted on its Web site a four-minute excerpt of anti-Islamic comments by Savage along with a critique of his words.---Last month, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston dismissed the lawsuit. She permanently dismissed Savage's claim of copyright infringement, saying that CAIR's posting of the comments for the purposes of criticism was protected by the right of free speech.

But the judge said Savage could try to amend a second claim of racketeering by trying to show specific alleged financial harm by CAIR to his business.---In an unusual three-page filing, Horowitz told the judge that he had prepared a 116-page amended lawsuit, but that Savage decided not to file it because of "factors arising out of this litigation but taking place (or potentially have an effect) outside of this litigation."

The court filing gave no details, but in a telephone interview Horowitz said the factors included an alleged phone threat to Savage. Horowitz said he wasn't accusing the Islamic group of making threats, but said Savage didn't want to take the risk that the case could inspire a "lone nut" to try to harm his family.

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said the Islamic organization had "nothing whatsoever" to do with any threats and that any allegations to that effect would be "scurrilous."

CBS5.com

Michael Savage vows to go to Supreme Court over CAIR

World Net Daily is reporting radio personality Michael Savage is in it for the long haul as far as CAIR is concerned:

Talk-radio host Michael Savage has announced he will bring his recently dismissed copyright infrigement lawsuit against the Council of American-Islamic Relations to the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes of making public the Islamic group's sources of funding.---Savage's attorney Daniel Horowitz told WND he is reworking the suit to directly address Illston's "respectful" ruling. He said the new suit includes over 200 pages of supporting documents, including 200 pages of transcripts of the meeting in which CAIR was founded.

..."I'm going to open up this case. I'm going to sue CAIR. I'm bringing a lawsuit back against them. It's going to cost me a fortune. And when Judge Illston rejects it again, which she will do because she's a minion of the Bill Clinton crowd, I'm going to take it over her head and I'm going to go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where again I'm going to hit a stonewall. And then I'm going to take it to the Supreme Court until eventually I force CAIR to describe who their funding sources are," Savage said.

Savage pointed to CAIR's recent complaint against the Abercrombie & Fitch clothing company for not hiring a Muslim woman dressed in a head scarf as evidence the Islamic group is expanding its "targets" beyond talk radio.

...Until 2005, the Al Maktoum Foundation run by Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid held the deed to CAIR's headquarters just three blocks from the Capitol. The same foundation has reportedly held telethons to raise money for families of Palestinian "martyrs" during the intifada – or terrorist war – started in September 2000 against Israel. It recently pledged a $50 million endowment for CAIR.

WND

Update:  8/15/08:  In an abrupt about face, Michael Savage drops his suit:

Insisting that Savage can prove the Islamic organization engaged in a conspiracy that harmed him financially, Horowitz said the talk show host is reluctantly dismissing the suit because of "factors arising out of this litigation," which he did not specify.

Later Thursday, Horowitz said he feared his client would be in danger if he continued the case. The attorney said he has no evidence that CAIR commits violent acts but alleged that the Islamic group is out to silence Savage and conducts campaigns that may stir up violence by others.  SF Gate

Michael Savage Sues CAIR

In an interesting turn of events, talk radio Michael Savage has delivered a counter punch to CAIR.  Most of you know that CAIR has been lodging a long campaign against the advertisers on Savage's radio show because he dared exercised his right to free speech.  Savage is not a fan of Islam. 

I would venture to say most of us would probably think his comments were not very cool, though.  There are ways of saying the same thing without resorting to the level Savage did.  But having said that, CAIR is trying to destroy this man's career.  I have never listened to Savage so I'mm not a fan or anything like that but this pattern of going after public people who criticize Isam is what concerns me.

It is important to note in his lawsuit Savage added an interesting twist by bringing CAIR's relationship to terrorist organizations.  You see, in a previous lawsuit filed by CAIR against Andrew Whitehead of anti-CAIR, CAIR was forced to dismiss the lawsuit when it came time for them to divulge potential incriminating evidence about their relationship with outside organizations and terror groups as requesting by Whitehead's attorney.

From Savage's Lawsuit:

."..CAIR is a political vehicle of international terrorism and that the copyright infringement itself and the manner in which the material was used, was part of a deliberate practice and pattern to do material harm to those voices who speak against the violent agenda of CAIR’s clients.  The attack on Rudy Guiliani, Daniel Pipes, Andrew Whitehead and Michael Savage are part of a pattern and practice to silence critics of CAIR and critics of CAIR’s foreign agenda under the false guise of civil rights."

More about the lawsuit:

"Talk Radio network-syndicated host Michael Savage has filed suit in California against the Council on American-Islamic Relations, saying CAIR is using a four-plus-minute clip of Savage's show Savage Nation for fundraising purposes.

CAIR and sister organization Hate Hurts America Community & Interfaith Coalition have been urging advertisers to withdraw their spots from Savage's show over what they say is a history of anti-Muslim comments. The groups cite OfficeMax, JCPenney, AutoZone, and Wal-Mart as advertisers who have ended their association with the show.

Savage's suit says, "CAIR has misappropriated copyright-protected material from Michael Savage and made this material available on its website. This is actionable, regardless even if CAIR had a genuine charitable purpose in using Michael Savage's material."

CAIR has been given written notice of the infringement, according to the suit, but has not taken the material off its website.

After noting that "even genuine charities" must get permission before using copyrighted material, the suit continues, "The CAIR misappropriation was done for political purposes unrelated to civil rights and unrelated to CAIR's tax-exempt status." According to its website, CAIR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civil rights and advocacy group.

The suit goes on to say that CAIR "manipulated" the content for fundraising purposes by taking it out of context, thus obscuring Savage's intended message. CAIR therefore "destroyed the value of the copyright material and the performance as a whole, at least to the extent that people gave credence to the CAIR packaging of the content," says the suit.

The suit also says any success of the advertiser boycott effort was "due to the copyright infringement and the false context in which the material was presented."

As of this posting, a compilation of clips from Savage's show remained available at CAIR's website.'      Source

Savage's legal complaint is here.

Update 1/15/08:  I heard on Fox News just now that Savage has amended his lawsuit to include a charge of extortion.