Have you ever posted
something mean or untrue about another person for everyone to see? It could
cost you. Libel is any false statement that depicts another person negatively,
meant to be inferred as true, and printed publicly for anyone to read. The
person who is targeted by the libelous statements may be able to sue for defamation
of character in civil court.
This past summer, a 14 year
old girl filed a lawsuit against her classmates because of an allegedly
defaming Facebook page. The girl's lawsuit states that two classmates created a
Facebook profile full of false information. Instead of firing back online to
get revenge, the girl's family got a lawyer. Just two months ago, a federal
judge ordered a cyber-bully to pay $4.5 million to his college graduate victim.
The bully was found guilty of multiple charges, including defamation and
stalking, for repeatedly blogging false claims and taunting the victim.
You may think that you can't
get in trouble for bullying someone online, or that your right to free speech
protects you when you start rumors or make joke posts. But that is not true. Legally,
your postings could be proven as libel if the statements are untrue, are
written without any concern for the truth, and cause emotional or physical
harm. Civil lawsuits are a route for the victims to gain retribution at the
great financial expense of the wrongdoers.
The best and easiest way to
not be sued for cyber-bullying is to not do it! Do not IM or post anything on
Facebook, Twitter, or any other web sites that is false and serves to hurt
another person. If there is anything online that may be considered libelous, or
even just mean, delete it. Do not be an accomplice, either, by reposting or
re-tweeting defaming statements made by others. Cyber-bullying can hurt not
only emotionally, but also financially.
READERS, what do you
think?
Is it fair
for bullying victims to sue for damages?
Should
cyber-bullying be considered a crime punishable by law?
References
Associated Press. (2012, April 2012). Family of Georgia
teens sues over cyberbullying, claims libel on phony Facebook page. The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8,
2012 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/family-of-georgia-teen-sues-classmates-over-cyberbullying-claims-libel-on-phony-facebook-page/2012/04/26/gIQAejUqjT_story.html.
"Libel". (2021). Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved May 8, 2012 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libel.
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