Phillips v. BoroughVENT.com

BoroughVENT.com, an online forum to discuss the Borough of Gettysburg, PA and surrounding region, and one of its adminstrators, Deborah Golden, were the recipients of a complaint filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The complaint, brought by two Maryland residents, alleges that the administrators and users of the site posted comments that berated, insulted, demeaned, and intimidated them in violation of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA).

More specifically, the complaint alleges that "Respondent used unreasonable profanity in verbal assaults against Complainants" and that "Respondent referred to Complainant Phillips in sexual, scatological, sexist and disability-bigoted language" in violation of sections 5(d) and (e) of the PHRA.

Statements quoted in the complaint include the following: "She and her husband are no more than extortionists and terrorists"; "Beware shop owners, the Bitch on Wheels ... who sues people to have handicap ramps, has hit three stores today... This woman's extortion ends NOW!"; "I think we should have posters in all of the business downtown with her photo explaining what she is doing"; and "Speaking of head-hunting, that's what I want from this couple: their head (figuratively, of course)."