Karma’s a bitch. Just ask Andrew Shirvell (pictured), the homophobic internet troll from Michigan who just had his request for unemployment benefits denied for being, well, a homophobic internet troll.
In 2010, Shirvell was canned from his job as assistant to Michigan Attorney-General Mike Cox after he called Chris Armstrong, a gay college student, a “radical homosexual activist,” “racist,” “elitist,” “liar,” and compared him to a Nazi and a member of the KKK. In his free time, Shirvell also maintained an antigay blog called the Chris Armstrong Watch, in which he frequently alleged that the 21-year-old student hosted orgies and had sex at a children’s playground and inside a church.
In addition to being fired from his job, Shirvell was also ordered to fork over $4.5 million to Anderson in a defamation lawsuit.
In a 3-0 decision handed down on Friday, it was decided that Shrivell was not eligible for unemployment benefits. The court said that his antigay hate speech was in direct opposition to the anti-cyber bullying campaign launched by the Attorney-General’s office at the time.
“It was reasonable for the department to conclude in its termination letter that Shirvell’s conduct … had the potential to damage the public’s perception [of the department],” the judgement read. “Shirvell’s conduct reasonably could have created the impression that neither he nor the department enforced the law in a fair, even-handed manner without bias.”
Shirvell called the ruling “deeply flawed” and claims his First Amendment rights have been violated.
Deborah Gordon, Armstrong’s lawyer, told The Michigan Daily, “You cannot defame, smear and stalk a college student (and others) and think you can continue working as an attorney for the state.”
She added: “Mr. Shirvell thought all he had to do was utter the words ‘First Amendment’ and he would magically be protected from any consequences for his actions. He was incorrect.”
h/t: Lawyer’s Weekly
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EdWoody
Couldn’t he just pull the guy’s pigtails and run away giggling?
KM201
This case is giving me the creeps. I really hope Andrew Shirvell doesn’t go off the deep end and murder Chris Armstrong. I’ve had that nagging suspicion for years and having to fork over $4.5 million plus not receiving unemployment benefits is only going to make his furor worse. I’d love to join the karma brigade, but we historically know what happens with nut cases like this guy. Stay safe, Chris. You’re going to need all the protection you can get.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@KM201:
1000% Co-sign. Chris needs to be hyper vigilant to protect himself from this smcubag lunatic……
This deeply closeted pig is beyond disturbed. He is clearly obsessed with Chris Armstrong and should be considered extremely dangerous. A normal sane person in a position of authority simply does not behave in any manner anywhere close to the insane antics this disturbed pig has…………
BBellairs
Please note the date when this all started, 2010. After he lost his job and then the defamation lawsuit, he slithered into obscurity until now with this lawsuit about unemployment. Mr. Armstrong was a college Senior at that time, so I’m pretty sure he has made sure this homophobic little toad has no way of finding him. He may be an idiot, but he is smart enough to know if something happened to Mr. Armstrong he would be suspect #1.
Michael93
Wow I think someone had a crush and was angry he was feeling what he was feeling, his intence obsession over him is just obvious he might be sexually attracted to Chris and I looked up Chris Armstrong and yeah he is hot
grahambower
“Shirvell was also ordered to fork over $4.5 million to Anderson…”
Who is “Anderson”?
Cam
This guy was so creepily obsessed with that student. If you watch the interview Anderson Cooper did with him it was beyond pathetic. This guy hit so many gay stereotype notches that he made Cooper seem like the most masculine man in the world.
His obsession with the college student went way beyond normal. And even more sad was at first the governor of the state tried to back him up until he realized it was a losing battle.
Even his republican boss Mike Cox called him a stalker (From Wikipedia)
“Cox initially defended Shirvell’s right to engage in free speech activities, even though Cox stated that Shirvell was a bully, immature, and showed a “lack of judgment.
On November 8, 2010, Cox fired Shirvell for having “repeatedly violated office policies, engaged in borderline stalking behavior, and [having] inappropriately used state resources. Cox said that Shirvell lied to investigators “on several occasions during his disciplinary hearing. Cox said that Shirvell behaved in a way that “was harassing, uninvited and showed a pattern that was, in the everyday sense, stalking.”
NoCagada
That bitch needs it up the ass but I wouldn’t touch it with someone else’s
KM201
@BBellairs: The problem though is that this guy won’t care if he’s suspect #1. In his mind, he’s already had to fork over $4.5 million, he can’t get unemployment benefits and he has nothing else to lose. He’ll feel he’s killed this “gay demon menace” and that will be satisfaction enough for him. As Plays Well With Others said, Chris better get himself top notch security right now. He’s going to need it.
Chris
I don’t understand how this guy ever became an attorney. I guess you don’t have to know the law and understand its application in order to pass the bar — at least in Michigan.
jwtraveler
@BBellairs: Intelligence and rational thought are rarely hallmarks of hate-filled, psychotic murderers. If you saw the TV interview this guy gave back in 2010, it is clear that he is suffering from some form of mental illness.
Low Country Boy
@KM201: I agree.
JayHobeSound
Remember Shirvell being interviewed by Anderson Cooper:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwObjKZg9Jw&w=420&h=315%5D
Stache99
@JayHobeSound: Wow. Thanks. This guy is seriously messed up. I almost feel sorry for him. He seriously needs mental help. Of coarse religion is part of it. Attracts crazies like a magnet.
lcandela123
Can someone with a legal background help with a question? We frequently read about monetary judgments like this one. Now, obviously this guy doesn’t have $4.5MM. So, how does the court actually enforce the judgment? How does Armstrong get some just compensation? Are Shirvell’s existing assets seized? Are his future wages garnished? Or, is the judgment just a lot of unenforceable baloney?
Stache99
Funny. He looks and kind of sounds like Pee Wee Herman.
AtticusBennett
when the story first broke years ago, i sent a message to anders shirvell on Facebook. he replied. we communicated. i blogged and posted the whole interaction.
it was used in the successful case against him.
BEHOLD – the crazy man’s crazy mind.
http://littlekiwilovesbauhaus.blogspot.ca/2010/09/crazy-closeted-andrew-shirvell.html
Stache99
@AtticusBennett: Ha. I loved this part…”Oh, yeah, hahahahah! P.S. I will be on some national news programs next week! Everyone will know about Armstrong now!!!” Talk about delusional.
Billy Budd
I have personal reasons to feel freaked out by this topic. A long, long time ago, I harassed the family of a famous movie director on Usenet. The internet gives us anonimity and we act in ways we would never do unless we were in such an artificial environment.
Of course, in this case it is homophobic bullying and nobody is anonymous.
AtticusBennett
@Stache99: RIGHT!?!?
apparently his family are so crazy they never said “you know, dude. you’re kinda making an ass of yourself, you’re gonna be ridiculed…”
it’s one thing when parents tell their talentless child that they can sing, and they go on american idol and make fools of themselves, but this guy went on national television and revealed himself to be a tragic verrryyyycreepy closeted homosexual with an obsession over a young man.
martinbakman
No unemployment pay? Oh! Boo hoo!
To me this guy seems like one more Catholic closet queen, a creepy stalker focusing on a young, cute college student. That’s just the sense I get listening to him.
The article said he was canned “after” calling Armstrong a Nazi but doesn’t say that is why he was fired. Did he edit his blog on the job, using the computer at work, or connecting to the internet during work time to do his blogging? Organizations look for reasons to fire troublemakers like him, and looks like they had no trouble doing so.
Cam
@AtticusBennett:
I remember your posts when this whole thing happened. It was so bizzare, because the guy was painfully obvious. When he was on with Anderson Cooper, the way he kept saying “Anderson” during each sentence and his somewhat lisping obsessive commentary painted SUCH a picture of a self hating closet case I’m shocked that nobody at his work tried to prevent him from going on TV.
JimboinLA
What I get from this is that poor Andy has burned through his savings and is now broke. I mean why did it take so long for him to seek unemployment benefits? He was fired four years ago. Some right wing fringe group will probably hire him.