DALLAS (CN) - An epileptic Dallas reporter followed through Monday on legal threats against an online troll who he says caused him to have a seizure by tweeting a picture of a strobe light.
Kurt Eichenwald, 55, filed a petition Monday for the presuit deposition of Twitter in Dallas County District Court.
A senior writer for Newsweek, Eichenwald says Twitter user @jew_goldstein sent him an image last week of a strobe image flashing at a rapid speed.
"Doe sent this image with the intent of causing a seizure, as evidences by the words Doe typed onto the strobe, 'You deserve a seizure for your posts,'" the six-page petition states. "Doe succeeded in his efforts to use Twitter as a means of committing assault, causing petitioner to have a seizure which led to personal injury."
The petition seeks to depose Twitter to find out the true identity of @jew_goldstein, an account which has since been suspended.
A defiant Eichenwald took to Twitter on Monday afternoon, posting a copy of the petition.
"As promised, I will be tweeting legal updates about the assault on me," he tweeted. "I'm coming for you, you son of a bitch."
Eichenwald's tweet comes several days after he posted about taking a short break from the social media service for self-protection after the incident.
"This is not going to happen again," he tweeted Friday. "My wife is terrified. I am ... disgusted."
Eichenwald tweeted that police are trying to determine if the assault is a federal crime because it allegedly took place across state lines.
"This kind of assault will never happen again without huge consequences," he tweeted. "This individual will be going to court, and he will be paying a price. And if any of you others ever try this again, I will make sure it happens to you. Online anonymity does not protect criminals. That's why subpoenas exist."
Twitter declined to comment Monday on Eichenwald's petition, citing its policy of not commenting on individual accounts or investigations.
Eichenwald is represented by Timothy S. Perkins with Underwood Perkins in Dallas.
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