Internet rights

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Internet rights

Postby cApNhOwDy » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:48 pm

Perhaps someone knows this subject a bit more than I do. Can you sue someone for something that they said over the internet? Someone's threatening to do that to me, and it makes me lol. Still, I want to make sure that they cant before I test their legal patience.
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Postby FloobieDoobie » Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:21 pm

Internet communications are covered under freedom of speech precendants just as any other communication medium is so depending on what was said, to whom, etc. would define the legal framework.
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Postby Gunther » Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:14 am

Research Libel and Slander.
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Postby Pilsner » Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:54 pm

What did you say?
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Postby cApNhOwDy » Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:13 pm

Pilsner wrote:What did you say?


Well, this person sent me a message via AIM (she found my AIM screenname through my Xanga, and on Xanga you can search for people based on their religion beliefs, I'm Aethiest) saying "Stop worshipping satan because osama bin laden worships satan an look at where he is now". Since I'm 100% against religious solicitors (I even have a message in my profile that says "no solicitors, religious or otherwise. I am happy the way that I am"), and since she was wrong anyways, I said kinda half jokingly "Silly bitch, Osama bin Laden worships Allah". Then she replies, and I quote:

"hey well if you call me a b**** one more time well my dad is one of the biggest lawyers in my state so if you call me that one more time my dad can track you down and sue for everything you have so watch it!!!"

I know that the possibility of someone so immature actually going through with something like that is very unlikely. Then again, she could be telling the truth, and you can get sued for pretty much anything these days. Getting someone's IP addy over Xanga is a breeze also. So I guess, more specifically, can I be sued for calling someone a bitch over the internet given the circumstances? I'm not even 18, that'd also be pretty hard to take to court, dontya think? It's not even like I was trying to be extremely offensive or anything. You push your luck when you go around 1. claiming that me, and already proclaimed Aethiest, worships Satan and 2. you say that Osama bin Laden worships Satan and 3. You try to convert a random stranger on the internet.

Yeah, a friend told me about libel when I mentioned this to him. He says that as long as it's on the internet, the most that her dad could do is get a no-contact form filled out. I just thought it'd be a good idea to get a few second opinions JIK.
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Postby rhonnin » Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:55 pm

First off it sounds more like total bull shit, I wish I had a nickel for every time someone said they, someone they know, family member were a big lawyer, member of congress, cia, fbi, etc...
Secondly you are under age so I doubt that much could be done to you as far as law suits over something so trivial.
Third, she contacted you first and not with the intention of making friendly conversation.
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Postby Rangerr » Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:59 pm

Yeah as long as you do not, a.) threaten or b.) harass there really isn't shit she could actually do beyond making threats. And if she actually tried to take you to court she would have no case considering the fact that 1) she initaited the contact betyween the two of you and 2) you can really call almost anyone anything as long as you are not slandering. However there is some open interpretation of slander, but I highly doubt if any judge would consider "silly bitch" falling under that umbrella.

Techincally I would guess that you could counter sue on two grounds the first being that she borders on harassment of you because she intiated unwaranted contact over your religious beliefs, which in this day in age the ACLU would love a counter sue of your case , but intializing a case would be frivalous and they wouldn't champion your cause. The second reason would be that stupid ass reason of personal and emotional damage due to her dragging you and your family through the mud.

But the most likely thing here to consider is that her father is probably not a lawyer. If he is and she approached him on this he would probably tell her to keep her silly bitch mouth shut. :D
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Postby cApNhOwDy » Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:33 pm

Well thanks for clearing that up for me Rangerr. I certianly havent said anything like "I'm going to murder you in your sleep" or anything like that. And I suppose that it's stupid that I even remotely considered the possibility of her suing me in the first place. It was also kinda stupid for me to call a 12 year old a bitch anyways. I honestly know better than that. I dont know if she's 12 or not, but you'd have to be that old in order to think that you can sue random strangers over the internet over some stupid little thing like curse words. And hell, if under the rare circumstance that she does get her lawyer daddy to sue, then me and him are going to have a man-to-man conversation about specifically what his daughter is doing. I'm going to do her a favor and explain to her why what she's doing isnt smart, especially over such a personal subject as religion, expecially to people that she does not know over the internet.
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Postby Gunther » Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:02 pm

Rangerr has his anchor in "common sense" on that one.

If I were that silly Bitch's father and I were an attorney, I think I would tell my daughter to get bent. No self respecting attorney would ever take on a case like that. Especially one who does very well.
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