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Comment by jjeaff | Hacker News Reader

In this case, the effect would not be to merely bring the arrest to light. Anyone who comes across the arrest now, is likely to come across the whole story, which is that it has been expunged and he was not guilty.

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The whole story is also what the report says, which was that his partner was bloodied and cut and only recanted her story after he was being arrested, which is common in domestic abuse cases. His arrest was sealed after the charges were dropped, but he wasn't found "not guilty" or "guilty" in this case.

Also, the "effect" could be to ruin an independent reporter, not just hide or explain the arrest.

I see, so the justice system we’ve all agreed as a society to defer to, including the detectives that worked this case, don’t have the right answer but Internet Guy with 0 first hand knowledge does.

What kind of a comment or question is that? Do you have a point? I'm arguing this dude shouldn't be suing a reporter for reporting facts, you are willfully ignoring the fact that wealthy CEO-types often use money and high-powered lawyers to hide their misdeeds, who knows if this was the case here, and I am not saying it was, but how is this defamation? The guy was arrested for domestic violence, the statement by the officer states the woman was injured, what am I doing wrong here by repeating these same facts I just read in an article? Your comment is useless as-is, it's just appeal to authority.

I thought my point was obvious — you’re declaring someone guilty of a crime when you have no knowledge of the case or more generally have no idea what you’re talking about.

No I’m saying transparency is more important than some asshole who is suing a guy trying to bully him into removing information. This dude got arrested, whether he’s deemed guilty or not doesn’t matter to me, I think it’s more important to have transparency as a society. I don’t give a shit about this guy’s innocence or guilt.

Obviously you're being sarcastic, but this is pretty much how things function in 2025.

Faith in the justice system is almost zero, and widespread skepticism of mass media means that “Internet Guy online with 0 firsthand knowledge” is often viewed as just as credible as major news outlets.

I don't have an answer, but it is a sad state of affairs that people aren't incorrect to embrace.

> the justice system we’ve all agreed as a society to defer to

I don’t remember that anyone has asked me. I know this is an often cited justification for laws but it is kinda suspect and not well tought through.

> the detectives that worked this case

I would trully love to read their opinion / notes on the case.

Do you not see the problem? Despite a judge discharging him without conviction, you feel as though you have the full story and he's absolutely guilty and irredeemable. You leave no room in your analysis for information the judge may have had which you do not.

No, I don’t see the problem, judges get bought all the time. Appealing to the judges decision is one of the strongest appeals to authority. I’d prefer his arrest record was public, with the case laid out, and if he was innocent and was arrested without cause then everyone could see that.

> expunged and he was not guilty

Sealed, for undisclosed reasons, with no determination as to his guilt or lack thereof.

innocent people often ask to have the results sealed.

He wasn't tried, so there are no results.

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