SPX Launches Legal Aid GoFundMe For ‘The Eleven’ Targeted By Defamation Lawsuit

As we reported previously, a legal case targeting 11 members of the independent comics community led Small Press Expo and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to establish a $20,000 donation fund to help support the defense of those targeted.
SPX and the CBLDF hinted that there were bigger plans in the works to enable members of the community and the public to make donations directly in order to support this endeavor. That fund is now live for donations at GoFundMe and those attending SPX this weekend in Bethesda, Maryland, will be able to make donations in person, also.
SPX explains:
Last month, eleven members of the independent comics community and one publisher were served with a defamation lawsuit because of concerns they raised about a fellow creator’s alleged pattern of sexual misconduct.
Whit Taylor, Laura Knetzger, Josh O’Neill, Tom Kaczynski, Hazel Newlevant, Emma Louthan, Ben Passmore, Emi Gennis, Jordan Shiveley, Morgan Pielli and Rob Clough, as well as the indie comics publisher Uncivilized Books, all need our help to defend themselves against these charges!

The response from our creative community about this case has been overwhelming. Now is the time to turn that rightful outrage into action. Contributing to this fundraiser, or helping us share it widely are steps that anyone can take to defend the eleven and in doing so, defend the kind of community we want to be a part of.

Cases of this nature can continue for years, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When news of the lawsuit reached us, $20,000 was pledged to ensure these creators have immediate access to quality legal representation – but defending these charges of defamation is likely to be a long and expensive process. Most of that initial $20,000 SPX commitment from has already been spent to pay legal bills.