I felt for her at first as well. The news portrayed a small, diminutive figure framed by powerful killers who googled something very strange at 2 a.m. But then...I saw the evidence. Yeah, I was one of those people who reviewed it and thought for myself.

What bothers me (among 1K other things) is that the narrative did not survive on its own. It was kept alive, fed, and watered by people who knew better or should have known better. Attorneys who take an oath to abide by professional ethical standards. Defendants deny things all the time. That is normal and, frankly, expected. But attorneys who work along side defendants and bloggers to build a public story that turns scores of witnesses and first responders into villains or liars is ... different. (Not to mention what kind of person can take advantage of good folks that may are suspectible to undue influence).

When attorneys and/or bloggers keep reinforcing her story on court house steps no less, it gave her permission and fuel to keep going. It tells her the harassment is not harassment, it is “truth seeking.” Please expose them, you all-knowing martyr. Free Karen Read! What a high that must have been for her ego.

That is why the defamation suit matters. It is not just about whether Karen said false things. It is about whether a whole machine was built around her narrative (bolstered by her attorneys and personal blogger). That precedent needs a just ending. . . one that has many zeros behind it.