This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Remember earlier this month when Gawker named Girls Gone Wild founder and USC alumnus Joe Francis as the Douchebag of the Decade? Francis apparently isn't denying his doucheyness, but he is seeving about these lines written in Gawker's post: "But this coked-out amoral direct-marketer (and a rapist!) is basically a zillionaire, various tax liens against him notwithstanding... Joe Francis! You have made the world a worse place! You have assaulted and raped!"
In response, Francis e-mailed Gawker owner Nick Denton. "You messed with the wrong guy. No one makes up lies about me and gets away with it," wrote Francis. "I lost a $10 million deal as a direct result of you calling me 'a rapist.' You will be paying me every dime of that back and more! Are you mentally retarded? Do your research first. I am coming after you harder than I ever went after anyone. I am going to wipe you off the grid!!!! YOU ARE DONE! I will take everything you have. You, Nick Denton, are truly the douche of the decade. Merry Xmas IDIOT!!!"
Francis attached a shirtless photo of him and then added: "I sent you an updated picture of how I actually look now so you can masturbate to it becuase you seem to be quite sexually obssessed with me."
Although Gawker's lawyer folk threw a punch Francis' way--"frankly, let's face it — given his chosen career and his actions to date, it would be hard to say that your client really has any reputation of social probity and standing to damage at this point, now does he?"--Gawker eventually added "alleged" to the rapist comment.
"Okay, fine," wrote Editor Gabriel Snyder, "After some consideration, we're sorry for calling you a 'rapist' since you are more accurately 'an alleged rapist.' After all, we've never seen you doing the raping, only read about it." In 2006, the LA Times profiled Francis, which is what the alleged rape comment is based on.
