Image via ConsumerAffairs.com

A nice bit of sanity from the U.S. judicial system: A ruling that Web site operators can't be held responsible for comments users leave on their pages.

This is a reaffirmation of an existing principle, not a new notion. But it's a crucial one for just about everyone who runs a Web site, and for everyone who appreciates the free-wheeling nature of the net. MediaPost:

A federal court has thrown out a defamation lawsuit against the site ConsumerAffairs.com, which posts people's complaints about retailers.

Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of Alexandria, Va., ruled that the site is protected from suit based on user comments under the federal Communications Decency Act.

The case involved a franchise of car dealers--Nemet Chevrolet of Jamaica, N.Y., and Thomas Nemet, the proprietor of Nemet Motors--who sued the Fairfax, Va.-based site in March after users complained about the dealerships...

ConsumerAffairs.com argued that the case should be dismissed under the Communications Decency Act, which generally holds that Web sites are immune from liability for comments posted by users. The court agreed and dismissed the lawsuit last week.