Harrington says he sought the restraining order after comments were made anonymously about him.
James P. HarringtonLUDLOW – School Committee member James P. “Chip” Harrington has obtained a restraining order against a town resident, Paul M. Henry, who, he claims, made threatening comments against him on a news website.
The order, issued on Monday in Palmer District Court, requires Henry to stay at least 100 yards from Harrington and to refrain from contacting him either in person, by telephone or in writing.
Henry also is ordered to stay away from Harrington’s home and workplace.
Harrington says he sought the restraining order after comments were made anonymously about him on a MassLive.com community forum. The comments were posted under various “screen names,” or aliases.
After the comments continued over a period of months, Harrington became concerned for his personal safety and the safety of his family, he said.
When Harrington complained to MassLive.com, the comments were removed. And, when they continued to be posted under a variety of screen names, including “chiplied,” “chipsux,” “chipsalldone,” and “chipsafool,” he sought legal action.
MassLive.com complied with a subpoena from his attorney and provided information which linked the comments to Henry’s email address, Harrington said. MassLive.com is an affiliate of Advance Internet; it is online home of The Republican, which is part of Advance Publications.
“When we received the subpoena, we gave the poster an opportunity to ask the court to preserve his anonymity,” said Ed Kubosiak Jr., editor-in-chief of MassLive.com. “After he chose not to do so, we complied with the subpoena.”
In the ruling made by Judge Elizabeth Sanabria-Vega, Henry is ordered “not to abuse (Harrington) by harming or attempting to harm him physically or by placing him in fear of imminent serious physical harm.” The restraining order is to remain in effect one year, and a violation would be “a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment or fine, or both,” the document states.
Harrington said he believes the MassLive community forums provide a valuable community service for people to discuss issues, but he feels those who frequent the forums should know that if they post comments which are defamatory or threatening under screen names which do not reveal their identities, it can be possible to trace who they are.
When reached at home about the court-ordered restraining order, Henry told The Republican, “No comment.”
At a School Committee meeting in September, Henry accused school officials of using “legal mumbo jumbo” to prevent him from discussing safety concerns pertaining to his daughter at a School Committee meeting. At the meeting, Henry called for the resignation of now retired superintendent Theresa Kane, saying she failed to address his concerns about his child’s safety.
Harrington told Henry at that School Committee meeting that no complaints about personnel or another student could be raised in an open committee session. Harrington said the parent must take his complaints through administrative channels.
The legal counsel for the School Committee followed Henry out of the meeting to give him a bullying reporting form, but Henry left without receiving the forms to document his claims.