A Portland-based architect is dropping a novel anti-doxing lawsuit against a website targeting companies in Oregon that serve as contractors for federal immigration authorities.
In a Monday notice filed in federal court, attorneys for Sharron van der Meulen, a managing partner at ZGF Architects, moved for a voluntary dismissal of the case. Her lawyers noted that the internet domain management company Tucows, Inc. and the unknown owner of the blogging website Melt Oregon did not respond to their legal filings.
“As of the filing of this notice, Defendant John Doe has not appeared and Defendant Tucows, Inc. has not served an answer nor a motion for summary judgment,” the filing reads. “This dismissal is without an award of costs or fees to any party.”
In response to the lawsuit, the Melt Oregon website released an update saying it had removed Van der Meulen’s personal information. Then it pointed to an archive link for individuals who were interested in still viewing it, though the internet archive has not uploaded any past versions as of Wednesday.
“We were forced to remove the personal information of all the individual collaborators we profiled,” the website reads. “Fortunately, the internet is forever and you can still access the full version of our site at this link. If you want to let Sharron know how you feel about her being a girlboss for fascism, her info is available at the link above.”
The dispute stems from a series of allegations Van der Meulen leveled against the Melt Oregon website, which uses public records to identify companies based in the state who have reported having contracts with federal immigration agencies. The lawsuit doesn’t disclose whether van der Meulen in her role worked to support those agencies.
But Van der Meulen’s company has since 2010 had a contract with the federal government to provide design services for D.C.-based federal office buildings for four different agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to her suit. She is listed as one of around 100 leaders of ZGF Architects on its website, and the company employs more than 750 people across North America.
Oregon law since 2021 has prohibited the release of personal information such as a home address, personal phone number or email address under specific circumstances. A person suing under the statute must establish that someone had the intent to harass, humiliate or injure them and that they knew the individual did not consent to the disclosure. It also requires that a person be harassed, humiliated or injured by the information being shared.
But the law has been rarely used with success. The Oregon Supreme Court in December 2023 declined to revisit a decision from the Court of Appeals that blocked a lawsuit from school board members in Newberg using the law. That case in state court, however, centered on Oregonians’ free speech rights to speak about elected officials rather than private individuals or government-affiliated contractors.
Van der Meulens’s attorneys, meanwhile, successfully petitioned for the case to be placed in federal court given the at least $55,000 in damages she was seeking and the national reach of her company, with offices in Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Seattle and Washington, D.C. They cited her original April complaint, which alleges that the website posted her full name, home address, personal phone number, employer’s name and contact information, as well as her husband’s name. A flyer cited in the lawsuit displays her employer’s contact information and address in Portland.
The lawsuit notes that a man trespassed on van der Meulen’s property, multiple strangers came into her home in March as a result of her information being leaked, and that a Craigslist ad posted a fake estate sale at her address. A flyer from the Melt Oregon website urged people to “knock on her door, and tell her to knock it off. This lady is your neighbor, and she is complicit,” according to the complaint.
“Defendant John Doe published plaintiff’s information on a website that encourages action against ‘collaborators’ and a craigslist advertisement directing the public to show up at plaintiff’s home,” the original lawsuit reads. “These actions show that Defendant John Doe intended to cause plaintiff to experience fear, anxiety, and serious emotional distress and to expose her to unwanted, alarming contact at her private home.”
It’s possible that the case could continue to play out in court.
Her attorneys filed to voluntarily dismiss her case without prejudice, meaning the allegations could be filed once again. Although Oregon lawmakers made doxing a crime in 2025, no local or state authorities have announced investigations into the website or efforts to identify its operators.
Van der Meulen’s attorneys and an email listed on the anti-ICE website did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking comment from the Capital Chronicle.
A spokesperson for Tucows, Inc. told the Capital Chronicle on Wednesday that the company “is not a webhost and did not post or host any information about Ms. Van der Meulen.”
Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com.
