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School Official Sues Over MySpace Page

SoCal writes, "How much legal liability do parents have for what their kids do online? A lawsuit filed in Texas by a high-school assistant principal may give some answers. Some students she had disciplined set up a fake MySpace page in her name depicting her as a lesbian (which she happens not to be). In its coverage, Ars Technica notes that 'What sets this case apart from many other lawsuits filed over the content of blogs is that it doesn't target only the teenagers who created the site. It also argues that the parents were guilty of negligence by failing to supervise their children, and that they bear some of the responsibility for the defaming site.'" The article links the Media Law Resource Center's resource tracking more than 50 cases now in the courts nationwide, in which bloggers have been sued for libel and related claims.

17 of 527 comments (clear)

  1. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by Lazbien · · Score: 5, Funny

    Especially if they are depicting her as a .jpg

  2. In Other Words by Ragnar+Bocephus · · Score: 0, Funny

    RESPECT MY AUTHORITAY!

  3. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Of course there is nothing wrong with lesbians, they're great! I'm a big fan, I have all their video's!

  4. I'm surprised! by mattkime · · Score: 2, Funny

    I, for one, am surprised that MySpace hasn't raised the maturity level of those that use it.

    Internet! What has happened to you?? You had such promise...

    --
    Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
  5. Proposed kindergarten curriculum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Sharing is bad: Intro to Copyright Law
    2. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but libel makes me call my lawyer
    3. Sit down and shut up: Intro to Democracy
    4. Why did those mean men take mommy away? Homeland Security for kids

  6. Super Duper... thanks for asking... by h8macs · · Score: 2, Funny

    Litigation for this is a flaming waste of time and tax-payer monies! The assistant principal should just blow it off instead she is litigious... that is just so... gay!

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    :-( --- argh. Despair, I owe again. :-b
  7. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    "I am very straight."

    You have no idea how gay that sentence sounds.

  8. Re:Not really by heinousjay · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's a fantastic way to pick up the point and run in a direction clearly unrelated to the rest of the discussion. Your technique is masterful. I weep with pride at the beauty of it.

    --
    Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
  9. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by Skye16 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or opinion, correct? After all, if they said "it is my opinion she's a cum guzzling gutter slut", well, there's not alot she can do then, is there?

  10. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by budgenator · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well concidering that it happened in Texas, at least the kids had enough restraint to have not claimed she was something really bad, like an athieist!

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    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  11. Re:Not really by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 4, Funny

    Have you ever thought about turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids and hitting them?

  12. Re:One step closer by Sj0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I applaud your well thought out, articulate reply.

    Well, I would, if your reply didn't amount to "Is not!"...

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    It's been a long time.
  13. Re:I'm somewhat divided by elsilver · · Score: 3, Funny
    I'm up in the air about making it the parents' fault.

    On the other hand, I strongly disagree with the idea that "Allowing access to the Internet, unsupervised and without restraint poses an obvious and unreasonable danger that such children would utilize the Internet for illicit purposes"

    It would be a really great defense if the parents could show that they monitored their children's activities at home, and the myspace page was made from school. Then the assistant-principal would have to sue herself.
  14. Re:Not really by Sj0 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Why even turn off the TV? Hitting kids is just plain fun. Is it friday? Are you bored? Beat the shit out of the snotnosed brat. It's great exercise, and fun, too.

    When you're in public and it's not socially acceptable to hit your kids, why not try crippling verbal attacks that focus on their most deeply held insecurities? It's fun, it's free, and if any of your yuppie liberal friends complain about it, remind them that THEIR kid just took the fall and is going to jail because someone stumbled upon the principals gay-ass blog.

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    It's been a long time.
  15. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by rkcallaghan · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're a troll, and my reply right now is likely to be the most attention you've gotten from a female today. I'm a nerd, hey I post to slashdot right? Yea, I have personal ads. So what. Show me where it says that is my exclusive method and I'll eat my shoe closet. (Sorry, I don't wear hats)

    You fail at life for presuming exclusivity in activities you don't approve of.

    ~Rebecca

  16. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by fyngyrz · · Score: 3, Funny

    You might look really cute in a hat, though... :-)

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    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
  17. Re:... depicting her as a lesbian. by loraksus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah, and the law books are filled with cases where someone has sued because some 6th grader wrote "Mrs. Jekyll is a lesbian" on a note that gets passed around.
    Oh, wait...

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