Courtney Love lost the first round of her battle with a fashion designer after a judge denied the rocker's bid to have the case thrown out of court.
Dawn Simorangkir filed suit in March (09) alleging Love had embarked on "an obsessive and delusional crusade to terrorise and destroy" her on social networking websites Twitter.com and MySpace.com.
Love hit back by attempting to have the case dismissed, insisting she is entitled to write about such issues online and that the lawsuit infringes on her free speech.
But on Monday (26Oct09) Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz rejected her argument, declaring Love's remarks were not issues of public interest.
Munoz also stated that Simorangkir has a good chance of winning her case, reports the Contra Costa Times.
Simorangkir's lawyer, Bryan J. Freedman, told reporters the ruling "shows Ms. Love is now more famous for her bad behaviour than for her music career."
Love's lawyer has vowed to launch an appeal.
Legal documents filed by Simorangkir indicate Love commissioned the designer to create custom clothing for her but refused to pay her after receiving an invoice in February and March (09).
Simorangkir then suspended her work for the star, which allegedly prompted Love to begin posting messages about Simorangkir on the internet.