Poker player wins $340k Facebook lawsuit

An Australian poker player has successfully won $340k in damages after his friends accused him of stealing on Facebook.

The friends of Nicholas Polias branded him a thief on Facebook after a trip to Las Vegas, accusing him of stealing $2,000. The money was later found to be hidden in a soft toy. 

He also was involved in a cash game hand in the Sydney Star Casino where he mistakenly short-changed the winner, but immediately rectified the error. 

He took Tobin Ryall, Andy Hun Wei Lee, Sandy Jan and Rhys Gould to court after they refused to take down Facebook posts about the two incidents. 

On Friday Justice Stephen Rotham awarded damages to Mr Polias, saying he was a victim of 'vicious and malicious' conduct. 

The size of the damages were heavy because the four men refused to apologise, refused to take the posts down and gave false evidence in court.

Be careful what you say on social media

Polias has since warned others to 'be careful what you say on social media', adding:

"I hope this sets a precedent to those wishing to harm an individual's reputation through the tool of social media. Bullies should mind their words and be very careful who they pick to bully. In this case they surely picked the wrong person."

"I'm just elated that my reputation has been restored; it's never really been about the money; it's just been about clearing my reputation."

Is $340,000 an extreme reaction? Or given that reputation is everything in poker, is this justified? Let us know in the comments.