Former Michigan Assistant Attorney General and self-loathing stalker of handsome undergrads Andrew Shirvell isn’t done harassing University of Michigan student body president Chris Armstrong. You may recall that Armstrong slapped a righteously karmic lawsuit on Shrivell suing Shirvell for $25,000 for “defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, abuse of process, invasion of privacy, and stalking.” Well now, Shirvell has counter sued. Get ready for disbelief!
On Friday, Shirvell, who is representing himself, filed a motion for the judge to dismiss the case. He argued that he “never engaged in any direct communication with” Armstrong, and he simply “opposed [Armstrong]’s political agenda” and “began protesting [Armstrong] and his agenda both online via the internet and in-person, pursuant to his First Amendment rights.”
Shirvell also filed a number of counterclaims, claiming that as a result of Armstrong’s statements to the media and his “course of conduct” towards Shirvell, Shirvell was “improperly fired” from his position in the Michigan Attorney General’s office. He also claims that Armstrong’s lawyer conspired with the AG’s office to get him fired.
In the complaint, Shirvell says he “has suffered significant loss of income, future earnings, and the right to enjoyment of his livelihood as well as emotional distress, humiliation, mortification, embarrassment, sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression as the result of Plaintiff?s tortious conduct.”
And what’s crazier is that Shirvell plans to represent himself in court! But at least Shirvell isn’t alone in his desire to stem the “homosexual activist agenda.” The Michigan House has just approved a bill that penalizes colleges and universities for offering domestic partner benefits for same-sex and unmarried partners. If their goal was to discourage the most qualified queer professors from teaching their students, then well done!
Geoff B
The only person this dumbass should be suing is himself. No one forced him to harass that poor kid.
Truthful
reading the title of this article gave me such a fucking headache.
Cam
“”as a result of Armstrong’s statements to the media and his “course of conduct” towards Shirvell, Shirvell was “improperly fired” from his position in the Michigan Attorney General’s office”
__________________________
Considering that the Attorney General’s office is full of…well Attorneys. He would NEVER have been fired when the case was so public, unless they had a perfectly legit reason to do it. So unless he is suing the AG’s office, claiming that his firing was improper or illegal, Any statement’s that Armstrong made that led to his firing can’t be used as grounds for a suit since the firing itself was proper.
Somebody can’t sue their neighbor for reporting that they had a meth lab in their basement. Sure, that report led to their arrest…but thats because THEY WERE BREAKING THE LAW!!! The same way this guy was.
The fact that he is representing himself also pretty much shows that no other attorney would take the case.
asa1973
Shirvell has obviously been in love with this kid for some time now…
kris
Hope this shit’s televised… will be way better than any other reality show. What a dumb-ass.
greenmanTN
I have no doubt that Shirvell indeed has “suffered significant loss of income, future earnings, and the right to enjoyment of his livelihood as well as emotional distress, humiliation, mortification, embarrassment, sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression.”
And every damn bit of it is his own fault, for undertaking his creepy little campaign in the first place then even trying to defend his actions in interviews. You can’t defend the indefensible. I’m not even sure Fundie groups would hire him because his actions and words were so bizarre even they had to see the waves of crazy rolling off him. (And over a U of M Student Body President. Really?!)
The Mich AG didn’t want to get rid of Shirvell and let it drag on far longer than it should have, mainly because the AG was also a homophobe. But when the publicity became too much of a nightmare they finally did fire him, saying he used State equipment to post his blog harassing Armstrong and did it on state time. If that isn’t true then he needs to make his case against the state, not Chris Armstrong, because he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
And if I were Chris Armstrong I’d watch my back because Shirvell ain’t right. This went beyond the political and into the territory of creepy and personal.
TMikel
Well, he could have saved himself a great deal of trouble, publicity, anguish and so on by keeping his mouth shut and not being an ass. Loss of income – couldn’t happen to a nicer person. Perhaps when the right wingnuts learn that their are consequences for their acts of hatred, they will at least keep their noxious opinions – and agendas – to themselves.
GayGOP
There is an old saying among lawyers. Those who go pro se have a fool for a client. Apparently both the lawyer and the client, here, are idiots.
Brian Miller
Why are people still in Michigan — especially gay people? Get out of that state. It’s nothing but homophobia, high taxes, and abandoned factories. There is nothing there worth fighting for.
gregger
@asa1973: that!!!
gregger
Where’s commenter Sam Wheat when you might want someone running the Republitard line no matter how asinine it might be?
Jeffree
If he’s defending himself, does that mean NO ONE else was willing to do it? Legal people, please answer.
I so wish this would be televised. Best CourtTV ever! Time to fire up the barbie & watch him roast.
p.s. @Daniel V.; I may have missed this if it’s been covered already, but how is Chris Armstrong doing these days?
declanto
@gregger: Sorry, he’s busy on another thread and can only follow one at a time.
declanto
http://www.facebook.com/fireshirvell
Cam
@Jeffree:
It either means that nobody wanted to take the case…OR, there were people willing to take the case, but they were going to charge him an hourly rate for it and not just take a percentage of the amount that they won (Obviously because they don’t think it’s a winner).
The sad thing about this guy, is that by his actions, and especially seeing him interviewed, it was so painfully obvious that he was a closet case who flipped out seeing somebody comfortable with who they are who WASN’T ostracised and punished for being out.
No doubt his excuse for being closeted was something along the lines of “It’s evil, if people knew they would hate me, blah blah blah…” and I think that seeing that this kid had a good life was more than the sick bastard could take.
Hey, Shirvil, you made the wrong choice, deal with it.
declanto
He’s a stalker. He used the office of the attorney general of the state of Michigan to vilify and pursue an innocent person, Chris Armstrong, with whom he had no personal association. Chris should up the amount he’s asking in damages at this point and make sure the scumbag won’t be able to get up and walk away unscathed. Also, watch his back. Shirvill is obviously unstable.
declanto
Just to remind us how truly grotesquel creepie-crawlie he is,
http://www.queerty.com/the-only-time-youll-ever-see-anderson-cooper-posing-with-a-rainbow-flag-20100925/
declanto
Just a reminder how slimey he is,
http://www.queerty.com/the-only-time-youll-ever-see-anderson-cooper-posing-with-a-rainbow-flag-20100925/
Matt R from Michigan
@Brian Miller:
Brian, drop the Michigan bashing. It’s unrelated to the article and it makes you look like an idiot.
If you want to have an academic discussion about the state of Michigan, great. But leave the petty insults at the door.
Jeffree
@Cam: Thanks for answering my question. And yep, you’re oh so right that Shirvell’s stalking of Armstrong is the classic example of someone who resents others who are leading the life that he can’t / won’t ever have.
I hope all is well in Cam-ville! I was much relieved when I found you back on Queerty, because you’re *very* good at ‘splaining stuff & you’re very wise.
Okay now, enough with your blushing! Take a complimênt, will ya?
MattGMD
Such a shame. Michigan, and Ann Arbor especially, used to be places where an open mind, and liberals, were not only welcome but encouraged. Indeed, Michigan college students were protesting WW I, so the roots of liberal, peaceful and open-minded folks run deep in Michigan. Sad to see the repubs steam-rolling history and academia.