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[Tommie Hu$tle]

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel cannot sue a Web site that published a photo of him with two women above a caption reading "You're never too old to be a pimp," a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

The term "pimp" was probably intended as a compliment, the court said. But Knievel said, "What good is law in the United States of America if five or six goddamn bimbos are going to rule against it?"

The Montana native sued after ESPN, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co., published a photo of the famed stunt driver at the Action Sports and Music Awards in 2001 with his arms around his wife and a second young woman.

The photo on the EXPN.com Web site ran alongside that of other people with captions that, in the words of a lower court ruling, "contained loose, figurative, slang language."

The motorcycle rider, who gained notoriety jumping over rows of buses, trucks and other barriers in the 1960s and 1970s, sued, alleging the photo brought him and his wife "public disgrace and scandal."

After a Montana district court dismissed the case at the request of ESPN, Knievel appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco.

"Although the word 'pimp' may be reasonably capable of defamatory meaning when read in isolation, we agree with the district court's assessment that 'the term loses its meaning when considered in the context presented here,'" Judge Wallace Tashima wrote for the three-judge panel.

"The term 'pimp' as used on the EXPN.com Web site was not intended as a criminal accusation, nor was it reasonably susceptible to such a literal interpretation. Ironically, it was most likely intended as a compliment."

In a dissent that quoted William Shakespeare, Judge Carlos Bea backed Knievel. "Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls," he wrote, quoting Shakespeare.

Then in his own voice, Bea wrote, "In my view, the word 'pimp' is reasonably susceptible to a defamatory meaning."

Informed of the decision by a telephone call to his home in Clearwater, Florida, Knievel responded angrily.

"They disregarded the goddamn law and they ought to be discharged, they ought to be ashamed of themselves," he told Reuters.

Knievel, 66, added that he would ask his lawyer to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.

:lol Way to let them know you respect the ladies Evel.

I find it funny but, if the guy doesn't want to be a pimp then honor his request and don't be a bitch about it.

 

[SlickWilly223]

He wanted to sue over that?

This country needs a restart button.

 

[bishoptl]

Look, there are a few old guys that you just don't fuck with.

Bill Cosby
Heihachi Mishima
Evel Knievel
Nolan Ryan

If the man doesn't want "pimp" under his name, respect his wishes or get a beatdown with his cane.

 

[NLB2]

WTF? He's obviously not a pimp and how is calling someone a pimp when they're not and you have no reason to believe them to be so any different from calling them a murderer? Murder is illegal, so is pimping.
+1 siding with Evel.

 

[Miguel]

"Do you know who the hell I am?"

 

[SlickWilly223]

This story is very old.

Still, this is the first I've heard of it.

 

[human5892]

WTF? He's obviously not a pimp and how is calling someone a pimp when they're not and you have no reason to believe them to be so any different from calling them a murderer? Murder is illegal, so is pimping.
+1 siding with Evel.

Context, my son.

You speak as if the caption was attached to a grainy photo of him picking up a girl in a flamboyant car, with the girl sticking money into the brim of his fancy fedora hat.

 

[Archaix]

WTF? He's obviously not a pimp and how is calling someone a pimp when they're not and you have no reason to believe them to be so any different from calling them a murderer? Murder is illegal, so is pimping.
+1 siding with Evel.

How about calling somebody a moron, you moron?

If the picture said "You're never too old to be cool", would he be able to sue because he was, in fact, uncomfortably warm?

When "murderer" becomes widely used slang, let me know, and then maybe we can compare notes.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

How about calling somebody a moron, you moron?

If the picture said "You're never too old to be cool", would he be able to sue because he was, in fact, uncomfortably warm?

When "murderer" becomes widely used slang, let me know, and then maybe we can compare notes.

Evel may be old, but he still looks killer in that wifebeater!

 

[ChrisReid]

WTF? He's obviously not a pimp and how is calling someone a pimp when they're not and you have no reason to believe them to be so any different from calling them a murderer? Murder is illegal, so is pimping.
+1 siding with Evel.

But we're not talking about the acts of murder or pimping, we're talking about a slang word for "great guy." Even the silly old judges realized this. They were complimenting him. If "murderer" was the word people used to describe how neat someone was, that'd be fine in this case too.

 

[UtadaBarkley]

Dude must be broke or something, he's scrapping for chedda.

 

[MASB]

Look, there are a few old guys that you just don't fuck with.

Bill Cosby
Heihachi Mishima
Evel Knievel
Nolan Ryan

If the man doesn't want "pimp" under his name, respect his wishes or get a beatdown with his cane.

Nolan Ryan in a fight: You want to mess with me SOB? *pops a couple of Advil* Alright, bring it on!!"

 

[NLB2]

How about calling somebody a moron, you moron?

If the picture said "You're never too old to be cool", would he be able to sue because he was, in fact, uncomfortably warm?

When "murderer" becomes widely used slang, let me know, and then maybe we can compare notes.

Perhaps if the slang meaning for "cool" had anything to do with the weather then your analogy might work. But it doesn't while the slang meaning of "pimp" is very much related to the actual meaning of the word "pimp".

 

[Gantz]

Isn't he like a hardcore Xtian or something?

 

[belgurdo]

Kind of a weak move on Evel's part. Ain't like they're trying to slander you, dude.

And nice retarded argument you've got going there, NLB2