Lawyer sues over ghost blog

A partner at a law firm in Panama is suing the Huffington Post newspaper after claiming he did not write a blog published under his name and photo.

Arianna Huffington: founder-publisher of The Huffington Post Albert H Teich/Shutterstock.com

To add insult to injury, Juan Carlos Noriega -- a named partner of Arias Abrego Lopez & Noriega – says he disagrees with the view expressed in the blog.
According to an ABA Journal report, Mr Noriega is concerned how the post was made as he never had an account with the Huffington Post. He is also worried that the article could create immigration-related problems by attributing opinions to him which he does not hold.
In the suit filed several days ago in Washington DC, Mr Noriega claims he is a victim of identity theft, and adds that when he asked the Huffington Post to take down and retract the article, he never received a response.
According to the complaint, he is seeking a retraction, disclosure of the identity of the person who posted the article and at least $3 million in damages, plus legal costs.
Patton Boggs partner Benjamin Chew, who  is representing Mr Noriega, said it is ‘unconscionable that the Huffington Post would not have done a modicum of due diligence before putting out an article on a subject like this, or any subject, without verifying the author.’
The Huffington Post is yet to comment, but in the meantime the post has been deleted.

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