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Kentucky Supreme Court rules Topix posters to remain anonymous

Drew Franklinby: Drew Franklin09/22/16DrewFranklinKSR

An ongoing story out of Pikeville has come to a conclusion, thanks to a new ruling from the Kentucky Supreme Court.

It began when Pikeville lawyer Bill Hickman sued two people for posting negative comments about him on the popular discussion board website, Topix. Hickman hoped to reveal the identities of his two critics via subpoenas to their internet service provider.

However, in an early Thursday morning decision, the Kentucky Supreme Court has now ruled that Hickman must prove the comments to be false before the ones who made said comments are unmasked.

“A bare denial does not suffice,” the court said, as reported by the Herald-Leader.

One of the comments that sparked Hickman’s fight, read: “BILL HICKMAN … If you were any man at all you would lower your head in shame and leave that hill with what you have on your back. NEVER show your face again in circles where people are aware of what you have done wrong and failed to do right.”

In related news, I’m obsessed with Topix.

Read some of my Topix reports from Lexington, Pikeville, and Paducah.

[Anonymous Topix critics can’t be easily unmasked, Kentucky Supreme Court rules]

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2025-08-04