A lawyer is seeking the prosecution of Rush Limbaugh for the controversial remarks he recently made (and has since apologized for) regarding Sandra Fluke, who he called a “slut” and a “prostitute”. You probably know the basic story by now. If not, you can peruse our coverage.
The lawyer is Gloria Allred, who has been involved in many high profile cases in the past, including some against OJ Simpson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tommy Lee, to name a few. She wrote a letter (obtained by Politico) to Palm Beach County state attorney Michael McAuliffe. The letter reads:
RE: Rush Limbaugh
Dear Mr. McAuliffe:
On behalf of the Women’s Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund, we request that you open an investigation into whether or not Mr. Rush Limbaugh is in violation of Section 836.04 of Florida Statutes, a misdemeanor, when publicly called Sandra Fluke, a female student at Georgetown Law School, a “slut” and a “prostitute”.
Section 836.04 of the Florida Statutes provides:
“Defamation – Whoever speaks of and concerning any woman, married or unmarried, falsely and maliciously imputing to her a want of chastity, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.775.082 or s.775.083.”
Mr. Limbaugh has publicly acknowledged that his reference to Ms. Fluke as a “slut” and “prostitute” were baseless and false. In view of the fact that Mr. Limbaugh resides in your county and allegedly made the false statements concerning Ms. Fluke in your county as well, this letter is directed to your office. As I am sure you are aware, Mr. Limbaugh has the highest rated radio show in the United States and the afore-referenced false statements referring to Ms. Fluke as a “slut” and “prostitute” were broadcast to millions of people. The afore-referenced Florida statute directly applies to the conduct of Mr. Limbaugh admitted to engaging in and we urge you to consider prosecuting this offense.
Your immediate attention is appreciated
Very truly yours,
Gloria Allred
Attorney at Law
President of Women’s Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund
Here she is reading another letter in a video posted to YouTube:
While Allred is calling the ordeal defamation, others have deemed it free speech, and have declared this accusation against Limbaugh to be a case of “political correctness gone mad”.
You have to wonder, when even Bill Maher, practically the anti-Limbaugh, has spoken out in his defense:
@billmaher
Bill MaherHate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout
3 days ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · powered by @socialditto
What do you think?