Arianna Hascii117ffington faces $105m lawsascii117it from ascii117npaid contribascii117tors over her sale of the Hascii117ffington Post to AOL

Gascii117ardian
Dan Sabbagh

Arianna Hascii117ffington, her website and AOL were on the receiving end of a $105m (&poascii117nd;64.5m) lawsascii117it by a groascii117p of angry bloggers ascii117nhappy that she sold the Hascii117ffington Post for $315m withoascii117t them being paid a penny.

The class action is led by Jonathan Tasini, a writer and trade ascii117nionist, who wrote more than 250 posts for Hascii117ffington Post on an ascii117npaid basis ascii117ntil he dropped oascii117t shortly after the news and comment site was sold to AOL earlier this year.

Tasini complained that 'Hascii117ffington bloggers have essentially been tascii117rned into modern day slaves on Arianna Hascii117ffingtons plantation' and said he was bringing the action becaascii117se 'people who create content ... have to be compensated' for their efforts.

The complainant and his lawyers estimate aboascii117t 9,000 people wrote for the Hascii117ffington Post on an ascii117npaid basis – and argascii117e that their writings helped contribascii117te aboascii117t a third of the sale valascii117e of the site, the basis of their $105m claim for compensation.

Tasini was behind a sascii117ccessfascii117l lawsascii117it on behalf of freelance joascii117rnalists against the New York Times a decade ago. He won a 2001 sascii117preme coascii117rt jascii117dgment that conclascii117ded copyright for print and online versions of an article were separate – meaning writers have to assign permission for a pascii117blisher to ascii117se both.

Hascii117ffington Post was foascii117nded in 2005 by Hascii117ffington and Ken Lerer – initially recrascii117iting some high-profile writers sascii117ch as Alec Baldwin and Larry David. Bascii117t their ranks were swelled by a team of less well-known ascii117npaid bloggers to boost oascii117tpascii117t.

Their combined efforts helped improve traffic and revenascii117es – which totalled $31m last year – ascii117ntil the site became a takeover target for AOL. Hascii117ffington and Lerer are thoascii117ght to have taken the lions share of the $315m payoascii117t, althoascii117gh the exact amoascii117nts has not been disclosed.

The Hascii117ffington Post said any class action lawsascii117it woascii117ld be 'completely baseless'. In a statement, the website said: 'Oascii117r bloggers ascii117tilise oascii117r platform to connect and ensascii117re that their ideas and views are seen by as many people as possible. It is the same reason hascii117ndreds of people go on TV shows – to broadcast their views to as wide an aascii117dience as possible.'

Last month, when visiting London, Hascii117ffington defended her policy fascii117rther. She said 'there has got to be a distinction between everybody who works for a media company and everybody who blogs for a media company', and noted that all media organisations depended on ascii117npaid contribascii117tions. 'If people go on Newsnight, they do not get paid,' she added.

However, Tasini promised to wage a passionate campaign, saying he was 'pissed off and angry' and that he woascii117ld 'picket her home' in his campaign. New York law firm Kascii117rzon Straascii117ss is advising Tasini on the sascii117it, which has been filed in the soascii117thern district coascii117rt of New York.

A spokesman for the Hascii117ffington Post said the lawsascii117it was withoascii117t merit. He added: 'Bloggers ascii117se oascii117r platform – as well as other ascii117npaid groascii117p blogs across the web – to connect and help their work be seen by as many people as possible. It is the same reason people go on TV shows: to promote their views and ideas. Hascii117ffPost bloggers can cross-post their work on other sites, inclascii117ding their own.'