internet law?

[tiggggger]

A little question for you, If you don't have then time I will understand.

A freind of mine and another friend have been sending e-mails to each other for about three months which the content of these mails were slagging of their ex-girlfriends phobia of sick and ill health and joking that they would get revenge for the bad times during relationships by slagging her off on a public message board on line - no names were mentioned and the ex also send just as offensive messages back to the board. The two friends said that they had a photo of the ex's current girlfriend in a 'compromising position' which they could send her to - the ex is now claiming balckmail and threats as one of the friends have shown the ex all these e-mails and now the ex says she is taking the matter to the police.

What is the law here?

Many thanks.

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[Tracey]

Your friend are immature twits who appear to think that they can cast words onto the winds of the 'web without any consequences.

I can't tell you the law, because I don't know your state. However, if they didn't ask for anything (money, get the ex back), they didn't commit blackmail. If the emails and 'compromising photo' could reasonably be expected to cause the ex or his/her current girlfriend to feel apprehensive that they might be physically attacked or their reputations damaged, it's either assault or 'uttering threats'.

Perhaps the legal fees will convince your friends to keep their comments to themselves in the future.

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This is not legal advice and you are not my client. Double check everything with your own attorney and your state's laws.

 

[lawrat]

I am a law school graduate currently awaiting Bar results. What I offer to you is mere information, not to be construed as forming an attorney-client relationship.


Tracey is forgetting one thing. If they are saying these things about your girlfriend and it is in such a way as to understand and know clearly who they are speaking about (meaning someone else like you a third person understands it is your girlfriend), then in addition to criminal stuff they have done, they have also commited defamation (libel per se in this case). What your girlfriend can do is sue them in civil court and see how they fare with that.

Good luck to you.