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Dear Elmer Fudd: Respond to subpoena or be revealed

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  1. Libel and Privacy
A South Carolina newspaper alerted an anonymous online commenter that he or she has until Oct. 2 to respond to…

A South Carolina newspaper alerted an anonymous online commenter that he or she has until Oct. 2 to respond to a Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce subpoena or the newspaper will hand over the commenter’s identity.

The publisher of Myrtle Beach’s The Sun News passed along the chamber’s subpoena to the commenter on Sept. 12, according to the newspaper. The chamber filed a defamation suit against an online commenter who used the name "Elmer Fudd," earlier this month in county court. The chamber alleges the commenter erroneously posted that the sheriff’s office raided local businesses and the chamber’s office.

The newspaper is not a party in the suit.

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