A troubling trend is emerging: internet trolls, once confined to social media chaos, are now escalating their vendettas in courtrooms at the expense of taxpayers and reputations.
The Case of John Robertson
John Robertson, a self-proclaimed investigator, has made a name for himself less through credible work and more through disruptive tactics. Despite branding himself as a whistleblower and strategic expert, his recent Glasgow Employment Tribunal case was dismissed—he had missed deadlines and waived his right to sue years ago.
The bigger issue? Public resources were drained. Court time, administrative costs, and legal proceedings all invested in a baseless case. Meanwhile, Robertson’s defamatory online claims against high-profile organizations and individuals continue to circulate with little accountability.
Digital Grievances, Real-World Damage
Robertson is part of a growing wave of internet personalities exploiting the legal system to extend online feuds. Their lawsuits often lack merit but cause harm before ever reaching a judge. Legal fees skyrocket. Reputations take hits. Brands pull out of deals. And all this begins long before a verdict is delivered.
What sets this new type of troll apart is their strategy: use the court system as a megaphone. For trolls like Robertson, the lawsuit itself becomes the message, regardless of outcome.
From Social Media to Summons
Many of these actors, banned from platforms like LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter), now turn to courts for amplification. Robertson’s claims include wild accusations of cover-ups and criminal conspiracies without presenting credible proof. He threatens legal action, references secret evidence, and casts himself as a silenced hero. But scrutiny reveals a pattern of abuse, not accountability.
And he’s not alone.
Other High-Profile Troll Litigants
Craig Wright, once claiming to be Bitcoin’s creator, spent nearly a decade suing critics. Despite overwhelming evidence disproving his claim, he pursued developers and journalists in a legal onslaught branded by courts as “terrorising.” The financial and emotional toll on defendants, many of them volunteers, was massive.
Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), a far-right activist, falsely accused a Syrian schoolboy of violent behavior. He lost a 2022 libel case, was ordered to pay £100,000 in damages, and continues to solicit donations to fund ongoing legal battles, all while avoiding accountability.
Across the Atlantic, the now-defunct Prenda Law firm exploited the courts by suing file-sharers en masse. Their so-called “porn trolling” scheme targeted thousands with inflated damages to force quick settlements. The U.S. Justice Department compared it to organized crime.
Why Courts Are Struggling
Legal loopholes and digital virality have created the perfect storm:
- Low filing costs vs. high defense costs: Filing a frivolous libel case is cheap; defending one isn’t. Some London lawyers cite £500,000 as a realistic figure to take a case to trial.
- Platform immunity: Social media sites amplify the initial defamation, then retreat behind legal protections.
- Anonymity and jurisdiction shopping: Trolls skirt injunctions by using overseas servers and aliases.
Real People, Real Costs
Victims of these trolls face more than legal bills. Damaged reputations can lead to job loss, financial instability, or even forced relocation. Jamal Hijazi, the Syrian teenager targeted by Robinson, had to abandon his education and home. Volunteers in the crypto space left projects under legal pressure from Craig Wright. A small business in Scotland lost contracts overnight after Robertson’s online tirades.
For everyday professionals, the accusation alone can be devastating long before a court can clear their name.
A Broken System?
Robertson’s dismissed case in Glasgow was just one of many that clogged the legal system with personal vendettas masked as justice. The paperwork ends in the archives, but the digital damage tweets, posts, headlines remain visible and harmful. Meanwhile, public funds continue to subsidize these courtroom spectacles.
As trolls learn to weaponize the courts, the burden shifts not just to their victims, but to society at large. The question remains: how much longer can we afford to let them?