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Business

Hunt for blogger over 'vitriolic attack'

• Russell Emmerson
• The Advertiser
• October 15, 2011 12:00AM

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Soaring Securities director Athan Lekkas is taking action over online comments about him. Picture: Calum Robertson
A POWER sponsor has turned to the law to find a blogger who accused him of being a scammer, court papers show.
An affidavit sworn by Peter Campbell, counsel for Soaring Securities director Athan Lekkas, says Mr Lekkas was named on website ozripoff.com in relation to a number of investments that ended poorly despite allegations that Mr Lekkas said they would succeed.
The post alleged Mr Lekkas used his stockbroking company, Soaring Securities, to onsell shares in companies in which he was a director for a profit based on new mines opening.
"History tells us this is just spruiking and these mines never have anything, it is just the tool that gets you to invest in the company," the post stated.
"Meanwhile Athan Lekkas makes a fortune."
The affidavit discloses that while initial letters to the US-registered site have led to the original post being taken down, the identity of the person who posted it remains unknown.
Mr Lekkas has turned to the Supreme Court to force the parties in the publication chain - SoftLayer Technologies, Domains by Proxy and GoDaddy.com - to identify the person behind the post.
The site's moderator, known as "John" or "ModeratorE", removed the post but refused to divulge the identity, other than to confirm an IP address registered in Houston, Texas.
"There appears nothing illegal is posted and no illegality has occurred," John states in an email to Mr Lekkas's legal counsel. Your client is entitled to pursue a civil action against this person if he so wishes."
Mr Lekkas's counsel, Kelly & Co's Mr Campbell, told Judge Brian Withers that identifying the true author of the "vitriolic attack" required help from the court.
"The fourth defendant at the moment we have had to treat as John Doe," Mr Campbell said. "We are treating (him) as the moderator of the site or the true owner and operator of the site.
"We have had correspondence ... with that person or that person we believe to be the person who owns and operates the site but, beyond knowing him as John, we don't know any more than that."
Ozripoff.com stated it started to protect consumers affected by a "cavernous abyss with a million skeletons of those who have suffered at the base".