Awkward situation that involved me stopping a harasser - Libel, slander, stalking, and/or harassment lawsuit?

[zzmnd]

31M Ohio. I'm posting because I had an awkward situation last month that got out of control more than I expected it to in this case.

Long story short, I've been active on Reddit for going on 4 years now. I got my start on the website after I had a nasty falling out with my first PhD advisor to the point my funding and program were in potential jeopardy. Neither of those happened thankfully, but it was down to the wire on my funding in particular even after I found a new advisor who took me and got me to graduation last August.

What I say from here on will also involve me justifying my actions online. I'm not saying they're right since those justifications will explain why I did what I did here. Unfortunately, I gained a negative reputation for seemingly repetitive posts on the website regarding how much I disliked my PhD program, how my program was on the ropes, no justice after the situation between me and my first PhD advisor before she left for another university (this was related to university budget issues and not our falling out), etc. I'll admit that I wasn't proud of a lot of those in hindsight since a lot of those subreddits were meant for discussions and less vents. Nowadays, I'd make most of those posts on a different subreddit for that sort of stuff.

This lead to a couple of folks following my posts, even to this day and its super irritating. I blocked someone on their main account about 2 months ago before the onset of this incident after I got triggered by the nature of his replies involving the whole "this is the solution. Why didn't you do it you dummy?" undertones to it like my first PhD advisor. It's also the case that a lot of the PhD students active on those academic subreddits say their motivation to get a PhD was because they saw other dissertations, knew they could do better than them, and wanted to usurp them. It gives the same "my farts smell better than yours" energy that got under my skin with my first PhD advisor. So, they like to act like they're above the previous academic generations and their toxic behavior, but its the same thing just morphed into a new form. Some even found my real identity and would name drop my first name in comments that are thankfully autoremoved by a Reddit bot. Even just a bit ago, someone tried to impersonate the guy in question I'll mention in the next paragraph. I know it wasn't him since I reported the comment from that burner account and it got autobanned, which means Reddit knows it was the same guy avoiding bans and the report didn't have to go to moderators at all.

I end up checking an archive site of this guy's account that's still active at the time of this incident. The site allows me to see all posts and comments from an account, even if their account settings are set to not letting others see and read them at all. I saw a couple that led to me finding his real identity. Given that I was furious with how I was treated the past 4 years and that I could get justice for my situation, I decided it was time to hold him accountable. I completed a form sent out to his real life workplace. A day later, his real life social media was either deleted or set to private. I don't know if that's still the case now since that form was a one and done thing that stated how I was concerned about his behavior and to keep an eye on him. To be clear, I didn't want him fired since that would've been too much. Their account was still up after the socials were deleted, but posts and comments were deleted.

After venting about what I did online and how I'm still mixed about it to this day, others said that libel could be involved since they think I lied in the form, which isn't true. Then, there's stalking and harassment charges, but that doesn't sound right at all since I never made repeated contact with him at all and sent a form via the webpage. It's not like I contacted him directly over and over again. There's also tortious interference with employment too, which I know next to nothing about.

If this isn't the right area on this forum to ask about the kinds of charges I could get, then let me know and I can move it accordingly. When I asked about this on a different forum, I was told from someone high up in HR that it's highly likely nothing will happen here at all unless he got fired. I don't know whether he got fired or not, even if that wasn't my intention. So, would there be a potential case against me right now, even if he didn't get fired? It doesn't seem to be the case for me, but I'm here since you all as lawyers would know better than me.

 

[zddoodah]

I got through the first four paragraphs and found nothing that raised any legal issue. Just a description of a bunch of childish online behavior by you and others.

Nevertheless, in the fifth paragraph, you threw out some legal terms, but it's not clear what the basis for any of them is.

As for "a potential case against" you, there's no case now. If one happens, you'll find out about it and can deal with it. Until and unless that happens, the solution is not to act like a child on social media and certainly don't discuss personal things on a forum like Reddit.

 

[zzmnd]

I got through the first four paragraphs and found nothing that raised any legal issue. Just a description of a bunch of childish online behavior by you and others.

Nevertheless, in the fifth paragraph, you threw out some legal terms, but it's not clear what the basis for any of them is.

As for "a potential case against" you, there's no case now. If one happens, you'll find out about it and can deal with it. Until and unless that happens, the solution is not to act like a child on social media and certainly don't discuss personal things on a forum like Reddit.

Well, it's good to hear there's no basis for libel or anything else I mentioned here. I learned a lot from the experience for sure. I should also note that doing what I did "got things out of my system" so to speak and I'm not interested in doing something similar with others who have done similar things to me because I know what I'm capable of doing if I wanted to care more in this case. I just don't at this point any more though.

Side question I forgot to ask as well. What can I do if this escalates in real life and folks show up at my home? It hasn't happened yet and my house has Ring doorbells, but I got a 6 month Scientology trial membership in my real name and real address sent to me. I got no email verifying it so whoever did it made a burner email. Another guy also mentioned my city I'm in and even my parent's names on a Reddit comment that was autoremoved as well. It hasn't escalated yet but there's no safeguards and that's a concern. I know H3H3's house address isn't publicly available so I'd like to know how to do something like that ideally and go as far as I can in protecting myself without crossing any legal lines here.

 

[adjusterjack]

the solution is not to act like a child on social media and certainly don't discuss personal things on a forum like Reddit.

I've been on Reddit for a year now. I'm active in the insurance subreddit that's inhabited by insurance pros who act like adults.

Unfortunately, in the more "social" related subreddits it is extremely common for posters to act like 10 year olds.

 

[quincy]

31M Ohio. I'm posting because I had an awkward situation last month that got out of control more than I expected it to in this case.

Long story short, I've been active on Reddit for going on 4 years now. I got my start on the website after I had a nasty falling out with my first PhD advisor to the point my funding and program were in potential jeopardy. Neither of those happened thankfully, but it was down to the wire on my funding in particular even after I found a new advisor who took me and got me to graduation last August.

What I say from here on will also involve me justifying my actions online. I'm not saying they're right since those justifications will explain why I did what I did here. Unfortunately, I gained a negative reputation for seemingly repetitive posts on the website regarding how much I disliked my PhD program, how my program was on the ropes, no justice after the situation between me and my first PhD advisor before she left for another university (this was related to university budget issues and not our falling out), etc. I'll admit that I wasn't proud of a lot of those in hindsight since a lot of those subreddits were meant for discussions and less vents. Nowadays, I'd make most of those posts on a different subreddit for that sort of stuff.

This lead to a couple of folks following my posts, even to this day and its super irritating. I blocked someone on their main account about 2 months ago before the onset of this incident after I got triggered by the nature of his replies involving the whole "this is the solution. Why didn't you do it you dummy?" undertones to it like my first PhD advisor. It's also the case that a lot of the PhD students active on those academic subreddits say their motivation to get a PhD was because they saw other dissertations, knew they could do better than them, and wanted to usurp them. It gives the same "my farts smell better than yours" energy that got under my skin with my first PhD advisor. So, they like to act like they're above the previous academic generations and their toxic behavior, but its the same thing just morphed into a new form. Some even found my real identity and would name drop my first name in comments that are thankfully autoremoved by a Reddit bot. Even just a bit ago, someone tried to impersonate the guy in question I'll mention in the next paragraph. I know it wasn't him since I reported the comment from that burner account and it got autobanned, which means Reddit knows it was the same guy avoiding bans and the report didn't have to go to moderators at all.

I end up checking an archive site of this guy's account that's still active at the time of this incident. The site allows me to see all posts and comments from an account, even if their account settings are set to not letting others see and read them at all. I saw a couple that led to me finding his real identity. Given that I was furious with how I was treated the past 4 years and that I could get justice for my situation, I decided it was time to hold him accountable. I completed a form sent out to his real life workplace. A day later, his real life social media was either deleted or set to private. I don't know if that's still the case now since that form was a one and done thing that stated how I was concerned about his behavior and to keep an eye on him. To be clear, I didn't want him fired since that would've been too much. Their account was still up after the socials were deleted, but posts and comments were deleted.

After venting about what I did online and how I'm still mixed about it to this day, others said that libel could be involved since they think I lied in the form, which isn't true. Then, there's stalking and harassment charges, but that doesn't sound right at all since I never made repeated contact with him at all and sent a form via the webpage. It's not like I contacted him directly over and over again. There's also tortious interference with employment too, which I know next to nothing about.

If this isn't the right area on this forum to ask about the kinds of charges I could get, then let me know and I can move it accordingly. When I asked about this on a different forum, I was told from someone high up in HR that it's highly likely nothing will happen here at all unless he got fired. I don't know whether he got fired or not, even if that wasn't my intention. So, would there be a potential case against me right now, even if he didn't get fired? It doesn't seem to be the case for me, but I'm here since you all as lawyers would know better than me.

I probably need more caffeine because I read through your post twice and still can’t quite figure out what you’re talking about.

You mentioned in one part that you sent a “form” to the “real life workplace” of an advisor (?) saying in this form that you were concerned about this person’s behavior and he should be watched. That potentially can cause you some legal grief. If you are concerned that you might have crossed a legal line with your comments, you should have what you wrote personally reviewed by an attorney in your area, preferably one well-versed in defamation law.

Following is a link to an overview of defamation law in Ohio, published by the Digital Media Law Project (2014), for your review.
https://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/ohio-defamation-law

You might want to limit your activity on Reddit.

 

[zzmnd]

I probably need more caffeine because I read through your post twice and still can’t quite figure out what you’re talking about.

You mentioned in one part that you sent a “form” to the “real life workplace” of an advisor (?) saying in this form that you were concerned about this person’s behavior and he should be watched. That potentially can cause you some legal grief. If you are concerned that you might have crossed a legal line with your comments, you should have what you wrote personally reviewed by an attorney in your area, preferably one well-versed in defamation law.

Following is a link to an overview of defamation law in Ohio, published by the Digital Media Law Project (2014), for your review.
https://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/ohio-defamation-law

You might want to limit your activity on Reddit.

I'll clarify what you wrote here. I completed one of those Contact Us forms on the company's website where someone who harassed me works. I said on the form how I found out it was his Reddit account and that his behavior on that account is a concern, particularly towards an autistic user.

I'll probably limit my Reddit activity from here on out. However, I want to find a preventative option here similar to that H3H3 example mentioned earlier.

 

[quincy]

I'll clarify what you wrote here. I completed one of those Contact Us forms on the company's website where someone who harassed me works. I said on the form how I found out it was his Reddit account and that his behavior on that account is a concern, particularly towards an autistic user.

I'll probably limit my Reddit activity from here on out. However, I want to find a preventative option here similar to that H3H3 example mentioned earlier.

I am not sure what you mean by a preventative option similar to H3H3. H3H3 lost its viewers and popularity once it started engaging in feuds. These feuds resulted in lawsuits filed against the podcast hosts (at least one for defamation). The only “preventative option” I see is to avoid being H3H3.

If you used a company’s “Contact Us” form to voice your concern about a worker, whether you face any legal action depends in large part on how the company’s “Us” recipient of the form you filled out handles your complaint.

I think your best course of action is to find something other than social media sites to occupy your time and, if you are personally harassed at your home, call the police. If sued, seek out an attorney in your area to assist with your response to the suit.

Good luck.

 

[zzmnd]

I am not sure what you mean by a preventative option similar to H3H3. H3H3 lost its viewers and popularity once it started engaging in feuds. These feuds resulted in lawsuits filed against the podcast hosts (at least one for defamation). The only “preventative option” I see is to avoid being H3H3.

If you used a company’s “Contact Us” form to voice your concern about a worker, whether you face any legal action depends in large part on how the company’s “Us” recipient of the form you filled out handles your complaint.

I think your best course of action is to find something other than social media sites to occupy your time and, if you are personally harassed at your home, call the police. If sued, seek out an attorney in your area to assist with your response to the suit.

Good luck.

Will do then. As odd as it sounds, it gives me "cold comfort" knowing that I succeeded in what I usually do, which is what I call "going to the ends of the earth for a solution." I stop with problem solving scenarios once I know I've reached the absolute end of what I could do to obtain a solution. It sounds like I'll need to wait until the other shoe drops, which I didn't want at all but if that's where it ends then reality's reality.

Knowing this will let me move on from engaging with Reddit in a way that seems to upset others. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of what upsets folks until it happens so it might be some more trial and error. I know I'll need to post less on personal situations and asking to help brainstorm solutions though.

Edit: As far as contacting an attorney goes, I tried to schedule a free consultation with one but they didn't let me since no one's suing me so they couldn't quote me.

 

[zzmnd]

I've been on Reddit for a year now. I'm active in the insurance subreddit that's inhabited by insurance pros who act like adults.

Unfortunately, in the more "social" related subreddits it is extremely common for posters to act like 10 year olds.

I've found a lot of people do even in professional ones too whenever I've discussed social situations. The answers I get will mention a solution, but it has those condescending undertones I mentioned before. Doesn't help that I'm autistic and 1% of the global population so I'm more susceptible to others not seeing it from my perspective and giving an actual answer. I got direct and actual answers here now so I'm good, but many don't understand that at all.

 

[quincy]

Will do then. As odd as it sounds, it gives me "cold comfort" knowing that I succeeded in what I usually do, which is what I call "going to the ends of the earth for a solution." I stop with problem solving scenarios once I know I've reached the absolute end of what I could do to obtain a solution. It sounds like I'll need to wait until the other shoe drops, which I didn't want at all but if that's where it ends then reality's reality.

Knowing this will let me move on from engaging with Reddit in a way that seems to upset others. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of what upsets folks until it happens so it might be some more trial and error. I know I'll need to post less on personal situations and asking to help brainstorm solutions though.

Edit: As far as contacting an attorney goes, I tried to schedule a free consultation with one but they didn't let me since no one's suing me so they couldn't quote me.

Yes, it appears that you are at a point where you must wait for the other shoe to drop to do much of anything other than back away from any and all internet conflicts.

You should be able to clearly tell when it is that the other shoe has dropped (e.g, you are sued). That is when you will need to find legal assistance.

 

[zzmnd]

Yes, it appears that you are at a point where you must wait for the other shoe to drop to do much of anything other than back away from any and all internet conflicts.

You should be able to clearly tell when it is that the other shoe has dropped (e.g, you are sued). That is when you will need to find legal assistance.

Alrighty. Noted. Again, unfortunate outcome but if that is what it is then I'll go with it. Thank you.

 

[quincy]

Alrighty. Noted. Again, unfortunate outcome but if that is what it is then I'll go with it. Thank you.

You’re welcome, zzmnd. Thanks for the thanks. Good luck going forward.