James Woods sues Twitter user in $10million defamation case after being called ‘cocaine addict’ and ‘clown boy’

The actor says his reputation has been jeopardised on 'an international scale'

James Woods (Getty)

Twitter has been a useful tool for regular, non-famous people to tell celebrities exactly what they think of them.

But make sure you’re not too nasty, as actor James Woods is suing someone for $10million (£6,421,000) in a defamation case after being called, among other things, a ‘cocaine sniffer’ and ‘clown boy’.

Woods went to the Los Angeles Superior Court and sued the anonymous individual, who uses the Twitter handle ‘Abe List’, in an attempt to take a stand against ‘reckless and malicious behaviour’, claiming his good name and reputation has been jeopardised on an international scale.

“AL, and anyone else using social media to propagate lies and do harm, should take note. They not impervious to the law,” states the complaint.

The twitter account has now been deleted but this is unlikely to deter the case from proceeding. In the UK, there have been a number of successful cases where a court has ruled a suggestive tweet libellous.

Sally Bercow was taken to court after wrongly suggesting Tory peer Lord McAlpine was linked to a sex abuse case in 2013.

One comment from AL, in response to Woods tweeting about Caitlyn Jenner, simply said “cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting”.

In another instance, he said "you are a ridiculous scum clown-boy James, a joke."

He has also been called "prick", "ridiculous" and "scum".

While the latter remarks may fall under "opinion", the cocaine addict remark could easily qualify as defamatory especially as Woods is a public figure.

The suit continues.