RICHMOND—
Freedom of Speech or quality of life. You decide.A Richmond blogger says he's been wronged. Peter Feddo says when his landlord refused to fix the problem at this South Boulevard apartment - he put it on the Internet.
"He doesn't want attention in his building and there's a very good reason why. I started investigating looking around, started taking pictures and there were serious code violations, seriously dangerous things," said Peter Feddo.
Feddo says he lived in deplorable conditions like: water leaking from the bathtub, decaying plaster in the kitchen and a hole in the fire escape.
He also says he had code violations that have been reported to the city. Feddo complained to management but says the Landlord, Larry Hollister, did nothing.
So, he put his concerns on a Web site he created, 10SBOULEVARD.COM. He says the landlord found out and that's things went downhill.
Feddo was later evicted from his apartment.
"He confronted me on the Boulevard and baraded me and said you can just get out this weekend and that was last September I said that's not how the law works. There's nothing in my lease that says just because you don't like me, you can evict me."
Soon after that, Feddo says management sent letters to him claiming he violated by putting political signs near his front window and a tikki torch on a table on the front porch.
He resolved it but believes his Web site is the reason for his eviction. The landlord tells CBS 6 that's not true.
Larry Hollister responded with this note, "This has nothing to do with Peter Feddo's Web site. He did not pay his rent for June 2009 and I gave him a pay and quit notice as required by the law. Feddo still didn't pay his rent, so that's when I took him court."
Feddo showed CBS 6 proof of his rent payment that he says he sent to Hollister by certified mail. Still, a judge ruled in favor of the landlord. And, Feddo says this case boils down to his Freedom of Speech.
"We have a right to express ourselves in the marketplace and people make decisions based on the information available to them and having that information is essential freedom to making the right choices and finding a better place to live."
So, what are your rights as a blogger? A local libel defense attorney tells CBS 6 if a blogger identifies himself he's not exempt from putting false and deflammatory statements or material over the Internet.
The attorney says they have to follow the same rules as print and television writers, meaning you could face legal action.
According to the City's department of Code Violations, the landlord, has since fixed the problems at 10 South Boulevard.
