UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 03-2176

STEVE WINTER; PRERAPTURE SOLUTIONS,

INCORPORATED, d/b/a Sellcom,

Plaintiffs - Appellants,

versus

MARK BASSETT; PETER WILLIAM SACHS; MICHAEL

SCHIDELL; STEVE ADAMS; WILLIAM COUSERT;

CAMILLE KLEIN; DAVE RATCLIFFE; DONNIE R.

HAYES; WILLIAM ARTHUR MILLER, JR.; JERRY MOON;

CARL MCCASKEY; MARK GWYNN; BRIAN BOGGS; ANDY

ENGLE; GOSPEL FILMS, INCORPORATED, d/b/a

Gospelcom.net; VERIZON SOUTH, INCORPORATED;

STEVE BUEHLER; AT&T; PSINET, INCORPORATED; KC

DATA CORPORATION, d/b/a Slurp Net; YAHOO!

INCORPORATED,

Defendants - Appellees,

and

TIME WARNER TELECOM HOLDINGS, INCORPORATED, 

d/b/a RR.com,

Defendant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle

District of North Carolina, at Durham. N. Carlton Tilley, Jr.,

Chief District Judge. (CA-02-382-1)

Submitted: November 14, 2005 Decided: December 12, 2005
1The decision is filed by a quorum of the panel pursuant to 28

U.S.C. § 46(d).

2

Before WILKINS, Chief Judge, and DUNCAN, Circuit Judge.1

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Thomas H. Stark, STARK LAW GROUP, P.L.L.C., Chapel Hill, North

Carolina, for Appellants. Joy Rhyne Webb, BROWNE, FLEBOTTE,

WILSON, HORN & WEBB, P.L.L.C., Durham, North Carolina, for

Appellees Steve Adams, Mark Bassett, Steve Buehler, Andy Engle,

Dave Ratcliffe; J. Donald Cowan, Jr., SMITH MOORE, L.L.P.,

Greensboro, North Carolina, Laura M. Loyek, SMITH MOORE, L.L.P.,

Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee Gospel Films, Incorporated,

dba Gospelcom.net; Neil A. Riemann, TAYLOR, PENRY, RASH & RIEMANN,

P.L.L.C., Raleigh, North Carolina, Kathryn L. Comerford Todd,

Andrew G. McBride, WILEY, REIN & FIELDING, L.L.P., Washington,

D.C., for Appellee Verizon South, Incorporated; L. D. Simmons, II,

Richard H. Conner, III, HELMS, MULLISS & WICKER, P.L.L.C.,

Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee AT&T; Philip Rogers Stein,

ALSTON & BIRD, L.L.P., Atlanta, Georgia, Mark Timothy Calloway,

Benjamin Freedman Sidbury, ALSTON & BIRD, L.L.P., Charlotte, North

Carolina, for Appellee Yahoo! Incorporated.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

See Local Rule 36(c).
2

Winter attempts to hold the ISP defendants liable for

allegedly hosting materials on the internet that Winter claims

caused him harm. As the district court held, 47 U.S.C. § 230

expressly grants immunity to the ISP defendants for these alleged

actions. See Zeran v. America Online, Inc., 129 F.3d 327, 330 (4th

Cir. 1997).

3

PER CURIAM:

Plaintiff-Appellant Steve Winter brought suit in North

Carolina state court against more than twenty defendants, including

individuals and internet service providers (“ISPs”), alleging

various injuries based on defendants’ internet activities. 

The defendants removed the case to the District Court for the

Middle District of North Carolina, based on the presence of a

federal question. The district court denied Winter’s motion to

remand the entire case to state court, dismissed certain defendants

for lack of personal jurisdiction, and held that certain other

defendants were immune from suit under 47 U.S.C. § 230.2

As a result of the district court’s procedural rulings, no

questions of federal law remained in the case. The district court

therefore remanded the remaining issues to state court. 

Winter timely appeals the district court’s decisions declining

to remand the entire case to state court, dismissing certain

defendants for lack of personal jurisdiction, and holding that

certain other defendants were immune from suit pursuant to 47

U.S.C. § 230.
4

After reviewing the briefs and record in this case, we find no

reversible error. Therefore, we affirm on the basis of the wellreasoned opinions of the district court. See Winter v. Bassett,

No. 1:02cv00382 (M.D.N.C. August 19, 2003); Winter v. Bassett, No.

1:02cv00382 (M.D.N.C. August 22, 2003).

AFFIRMED