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By Kim Zetter
July 2, 2009 | 3:04 pm | Categories: The Courts, cyberbullying
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge on Thursday overturned guilty verdicts against Lori Drew, issuing a
directed acquittal on three misdemeanor charges.
Drew, 50, was accused of participating in a cyberbullying scheme against 13-year-old Megan Meier who later
committed suicide. The case against Drew hinged on the government’s novel argument that violating
MySpace’s terms of service was the legal equivalent of computer hacking. But U.S. District Judge George Wu
found the premise troubling.
“It basically leaves it up to a website owner to determine what is a crime,” said Wu on Thursday, echoing
what critics of the case have been saying for months. “And therefore it criminalizes what would be a breach of
contract.”
Tina Meier, the mother of Megan Meier, walked out of the courtroom while Wu was still delivering his ruling.
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She later told reporters that she was “extremely upset with the decision” and that she left because she “was
done listening to” the judge. She indicated that the family is still considering whether to bring a civil case
against Drew.
Ron Meier, Megan Meier’s father, whose marriage fell apart after his daughter’s death, wore a large lapel
button bearing his daughter’s smiling face as he spoke to reporters with tears in his eyes. He said despite
Drew’s acquittal, “a jury of her peers did convict her, so that itself is a victory.”
Drew’s attorney, H. Dean Steward, praised Wu’s decision and said that “those of us that are concerned about
being prosecuted” for violating a terms of service agreement “should feel a bit better now.”
Drew had been charged with four potential felony counts of unauthorized computer access under the
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The jury convicted her last year of three misdemeanor charges instead and
deadlocked on the fourth charge.
Wu told Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Krause that if Drew had been convicted of the felonies, he would have
let the convictions stand, and would have already sentenced her. But the misdemeanor convictions troubled
him, because of the vague wording of the statute.
The judge sparred with Krause for nearly 45 minutes over the government’s interpretation of the computer
crime law, before granting the long-pending defense motion to overturn the jury verdict in the case.
The ruling is not official until Wu releases a written decision, which could come as early as next week.
Prosecutors then have the option of appealing. They’ve already filed to have the deadlocked fourth
conspiracy charge dismissed without prejudice, but indicated they could continue to pursue that charge as
well.
U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien said afterward that he had no regrets.
“I’m proud of this case …. and this team [of prosecutors],” he said, even though using the CFAA to prosecute
Drew “was a risk.” He added that his office “will always take risks on behalf of children.”
The case had its roots in a tragedy that began unfolding in September 2006 when, prosecutors said, Drew
conspired to create a fake MySpace account for “Josh Evans” with her then 13-year-old daughter, Sarah, and
a then-18-year-old employee and family friend named Ashley Grills.
Prosecutors alleged that Drew and the two others used the profile to lure Megan Meier into an online
relationship with “Josh” to find out what Megan was saying about Drew’s daughter online. But in October,
one of the group, writing as Josh, turned against Megan, and told her that the world would be a better place
without her. Shortly afterward, Megan hanged herself in her bedroom.
Neighbors in O’Fallon, Missouri, the small town where the Drews and Meiers lived four houses away from
each other, turned on Drew when her supposed complicity in the hoax emerged.
Missouri prosecutors sought to charge Drew with a crime, but were stymied by the fact that there was no
federal statute against cyber bullying. O’Brien said on Thursday that Megan’s death “cried out for someone to
do something.” And that’s when he and other prosecutors in California devised the novel idea to charge her
under the anti-hacking statute, filing the case in Los Angeles because this is where MySpace’s servers are
based.
MySpace’s user agreement requires registrants, among other things, to provide factual information about
themselves, and to refrain from soliciting personal information from minors and using information obtained
from MySpace services to harass or harm other people. By allegedly violating that click-to-agree contract,
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Drew committed the same crime as any hacker, prosecutors claimed.
But testimony in the case offered by prosecution witness Ashley Grills under a grant of immunity showed that
nobody involved in the hoax actually read the terms of service. Grills also said that the hoax was her idea, not
Drew’s, and that it was Grills who created the Josh Evans profile, and later sent the cruel message that tipped
the emotionally vulnerable 13-year-old girl into her final, tragic act.
Wu’s problem with the case, he said, lay in the lesser burden required for a misdemeanor conviction.
To convict Drew of the felonies, prosecutors would have needed to prove two things: that Drew accessed
MySpace “without authorization,” and did it for the purpose of committing a tortious act — in this case, to
intentionally cause harm to Megan Meier.
But for the misdemeanors, the jury just had to find that Drew obtained the unauthorized access. Wu said that
language, standing on its own, was too vague to pass constitutional muster in this case.
“I don’t see how the misdemeanor aspect would be constitutional,” he said. “That is the issue I’m wrestling
with at this time.”
Wu also doubted that MySpace provided sufficient notice to members to hold them responsible. If a user
didn’t read the terms of service, the judge asked prosecutor Krause, could they still be charged with violating
them?
Krause struggled to respond to Wu’s questions, emphasizing that not every terms-of-service violation would
be prosecuted as a crime. In Drew’s case, he said, there was sufficient evidence to suggest that she knew what
she was doing was wrong.
But Wu disputed this, pointing out that the government’s star witness — Ashley Grills — had testified that she
never read the terms of service before clicking on a button agreeing to them.
Wu and Krause circled around each other for several more minutes before Wu finally announced that he was
granting the defense’s motion to acquit.
Drew had faced a maximum sentence of three years and a $300,000 fine. Although prosecutors sought the
maximum, probation authorities, in a pre-sentencing report sent to the court, had recommended probation and
a $5,000 fine.
Drew’s father, Jerry Shreeves, told Threat Level after the hearing, “I think this is what needed to happen.”
Drew’s attorney, Steward, said that the federal prosecutors in Los Angeles should be ashamed for having
brought the case to trial.
“Missouri prosecutors got it right” by not filing charges, he said. “How is it that Tom O’Brien’s people are that
much smarter?”
Steward wouldn’t say how much the case had cost his client, only noting that her parents had taken care of his
fee, which was “significantly lower” than what he normally charged.
He said that Drew and her family have since moved out of Missouri, due to the harassment they received,
noting that she’s been “an internet punching bag for almost three years” having been “tried, convicted and
lynched by bloggers” and others who didn’t know all the facts of the case.
He said Drew has already been in touch with a lawyer to discuss a possible civil case that she might still face,
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but felt fairly certain that her criminal troubles were done.
“Hopefully, [prosecutors] will just let this case end now,” he said.
(Last updated: 6:30 p.m. Eastern)
Photo: AP
See also:
Judge Postpones Lori Drew Sentencing; Weighs Dismissal
Can Lori Drew Verdict Survive the 9th Circuit Court?
Prosecutors Seek 3 Years in Prison for Lori Drew
Lori Drew Not Guilty of Felonies in Landmark Cyberbullying Trial
Prosecution: Lori Drew Schemed to Humiliate Teen Girl
Government’s Star Witness Stumbles: MySpace Hoax Was Her Idea, Not Drew’s
Experts Say MySpace Suicide Indictment Sets ‘Scary’ Legal Precedent
Blog Readers Out Anonymous Adults that Newspaper Refused to Identify
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This information comes great for my project that I'm doing in English class
I think this is a sad state of affairs when a grown woman would prey on the insecurities of a child. We
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are all different. Some of us are more emotionally fragile than others. Suicide is not about cowardice.
As a survivor of my brother's suicide I can assure you that a person who comes to the end of
themselves does not think in a rational manner. What are they a coward about? Commiting suicide is
not about trying to prove yourself as courageous or weak. It is an act completed by a soul that is deeply
depressed and can see know other way out of the situation. God Bless the family of Megan Meier. Lori
Drew obviously doesn't get it and probably never will. Her comments about herself (after the judges
acquittal) speaks volumes about her. I would be extremely remorseful and would hang my head in
shame and ask my God to forgive me! It scares me to think that there are so many people out there that
are so lacking in compassion that they would actually defend their reprehensible actions as just. God
save us all!
@ZahraFajr
In regards to your idea about the precautions that could have been taken I would just like to point to
this article, that was on Wired last year in regards to this case. There were precautions taken. Weather
they were enough is another matter. We need more education for the average user, so they can
understand that the internet is a far more detrimental place than it is useful. They do what they know.
That's it.
@evolutionist
I would like to point to the same article for you... as kind of a foundation. If you follow the links at the
end you can read all the articles that relate to the case all the way back to the beginning. If you had
been paying attention you would know that the entire Drew family was aware of Megan's passed issues
with depression. Can you honestly tell me with complete honesty that there is no implication they were
exploiting that knowledge? Considering the Lori husband attempted to cover her tracks by formatting
the hard drive after the fact. Oops! Too bad he doesn't know how that works.
What I don't understand is this: If a 40 year old man pretended to be a 14 year old girl to communicate
with a 14 year old boy, do you think that he would walk away from it? That's what Lori Drew did. She
is a predator. I understand that this trial is not about predation, it was about the TOS. I chalk that up to
over zealous and idiotic prosecutors, but most of the negativity I see here is just about responsibility...
not about methods of litigation. And I think the bullshit judge just set a precedence that will lead people
to believe it's okay to be a predator as long as you don't read the terms of service... because if you don't
read it then you just don't know it's wrong. Since apparently we base our entire moral code on software
Terms of Service.
Bullshit.
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@orbust : I would agree with you if it wasn’t an adult going on the internet with specific intent to fuck
with a 13 year old girl. Messing with peoples kids is not just being “mean” its unlawful as well. There
are all kinds of laws that protect children from social deviants like this bitch. I would argue that
obviously this girl had issues, and that she might have done it anyway without the mothers
involvement. But to suggest that an adult can stalk a minor on the internet and mess with their minds
and then simply chalking this behavior up to being “mean” as if this is normal is ludicrous. Its not just
mean, its sick. And beyond that if the parents of this girl new what was going on, they could have had a
restraining order on Lori Drew without hesitation from any judge.
If there are all kinds of laws that protect children from this why wasn’t she charged with any of them?
She didn’t “stalk” Megan, she was involved in posting as a fictitious boy on Myspace.
“And beyond that if the parents of this girl new what was going on, they could have had a restraining
order on Lori Drew without hesitation from any judge.” <- That is a very important comment that I
agree with (mostly, doubt a restraining order could have been obtained). Regardless of whether any
cyberbully legislation would pass muster the parents could probably have prevented a tragic suicide by
being more attentive to their daughter. Lori Drew is twisted and sick, and Megan’s parents obviously
didn’t have a handle on her emotional well being, which is more guilty?
PS I used a spell check this time :p
I think the judge is right on this one. It is up to a company to enforce it's Terms of service, either by
litigation or otherwise. But the Government can't claim that me violating a private agreement between
me and another party is criminal. The Fact of the matter is that most current TOS agreements are
written broad enough that you are almost certainly violating them the moment you begin using the
service, because these companies lawyer's write them to be as broad as possible, so that in the event of
a dispute, the company is protected.
From what I've read, my opinion is that this woman Drew is an asshole. What mother has the time and
inclination to bully her daughter's peers? Although I generally believe that people are responsible for
their actions, I wouldn't mind seeing the dead girl's family bring a civil suit, because this woman's
actions, legal or illegal, seem to directly have led to the girl's suicide.
"But the Government can't claim that me violating a private agreement between me and another
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party is criminal."
If that's the case, then contract law does not exist. Contracts would have no power if the
government didn't enforce them.
I agree with the judge to a certain extent. A part of the article states that a part of the reason they are
not guilty is because they did not ACTUALLY READ the TOS. What difference does that make to any
contract? Once you sign off, or click agree, you are stating you read and understand the rules. I am
guilty of NOT reading TOS all the time, but if I violate a rule of it and get punished for it, I can't claim
ignorance. I don't know every law of every country in the world, but if I walk on a don't walk in Hawaii
and get a ticket for jay walking, well to bad for me.
WHAT IS WITH YOU PEOPLE???? Unless you've EVER lived with someone with ADD and
depression, DON'T judge what the family did and did not know or, for that matter, what they did or did
not do about it! And until (God forbid) you've had a child commit suicide because of the harassment of
someone else - a supposed ADULT nonetheless - then don't even BEGIN to presume to pass the blame
from Lori Drew! I'm as much a supporter of the first amendment as anyone but that still doesn't mean
that you have the right to yell fire in a crowded theatre. The ONLY thing this case proves is that the
law is currently and woefully insufficient for technology as it exists now. Lori Drew should serve some
significant prison time - as should her daughter and "friend" who helped establish and support the
fictitious boy online...fraud, assault, harassment, endangering the welfare of a minor...SOMETHING
should apply in this case so that she and her evil child don't get away with what they've done. And I
pray for YOUR children and the future...since they're going to have mothers and grandmothers like
Lori Drew and her daughter to deal with when THEY'RE going through their pubescent emotional
rollercoaster!
Whether you agree with the judge's ruling or not, my heart goes out to the family of Megan Meier.
http://blurthelines.typepad.co...
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Definitely right move by the judge. I still don't understand how they didn't try prosecuting Drew for
manslaughter, though. Even if they didn't win, that's the correct charge - not this trumped up orwellian
scenario.
Yeah. Some of our most important legal rulings come against scumbags. Yeah.
While I think the judge made a logical decision, I hope Lori and her daughter both trip and fall
face-first into a concrete curb, breaking not only their nose but also shattering all their front teeth, but
not before driving those teeth through their upper lips, hopefully severing said lips from their respective
faces.
I hope that's not too harsh.
What this woman did was immoral and despicable. However, it is not, and should never be considered
criminal. What if it had been a real life boyfriend that had dumped Megan? Would we have charged
him with homicide or something else because he dumped her and was therefore responsible for the
emotions that led to Megan's suicide?
It's stupid and petty of the woman and her daughter, but it was only words. This would have set a very
dangerous precedent indeed, and it's good to see the judge have some sense here finally. The case
should NEVER have come to court in the first place.
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It is to be hoped the sack of nauseating blubber, Lori Drew, will be incapacitated soon by the grotesque
pile of fat it carries around. Its hideous spawn looks like it will explode any day now. Why can't these
useless wretches be placed in sewage treatment facilities to gorge on excrement?
Why does everybody keep saying "if there are laws against what she did, why wasn't she charged with
any of them." Duh. For the same reason that female teachers are rarely charged with stat rape for sex
with male students: the culture is reluctant to hold adult women accountable...for anythihng, including
maliciously trying to torment a 13 year old girl by sending fraudulent messages on a social networking
site. Doesn't seem to stop the "To Catch a Predator" crew does it? It's a cultural thing. Would you want
to see your mom charged with a crime? Didn't think so.
I dated a witch and she put a hex on me. She also tempted many with her hot ass. Let's burn the bitch...
like they do in third world countries. To hell with a judge, it's the peoples will.
Thnakss
Sohpet
Sohbet
You guys are all missing the point here. This case is not about the internet or privacy. It's an old
fashioned case of special treatment for women. Lori Drew is an adult women. We're Americans people.
In America, we don't hold women accountable for anything. Does anyone seriously contend that if Lori
Drew was a man she'd be walking the streets right now? Not a chance. She'd have been clapped in jail
for something by the prosecutors and nobody would say boo about it. What's happening is an
affirmation of a culture's highest value: No accountability for misconduct by women period. Duh.
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Thank god the judge threw this out!!!!!!
I hope when and if any civil case is filed, it is thrown out too!
Number one, anyone that is going to do anything based on events on a social net working site, that has
no bearing on anything in the real world, and you could just chose not to go to, is retarded. Its too bad
that someone died, but lets face it she was never going to make it in the real world without profecional
help. So I dont see why charges have not been filed against the parents of the girl who commited
suicide. Parental responciblity is a law to be inforced and obviously they were delincuint in their duties.
I monitor both my childrens computers. I review sites they have been to, review emails, and chats. I
told them i do this befor they started using there computers and remind them of it weekly as i review
the logs, and screen shots. Kids + Internet + Delinquient Parenting = Major trouble! Like anything, the
internet can be a great learning tool, and fun pass time, but taken in excess or missused, = trouble of
some degree. Childeren unguided in any activety is no good. It is our job as parents to teach our
childeren in the ways of the world, so they are prepaired. Around the age of puberty one thing as
parents you must teach or at least guid is the art or relationships, be it simple friendships, or on up to
boyfriend / girlfrend. You have to be there to comfort them when things go wrong, as they always do at
that age. Its the simple facts of life and teaching our children the correct way to deal with them. Also to
make sure at the younger ages, to make sure things are not going to far, are beyond there capacity to
deal with. Its not the govenment / law makers place to govern personal relationships! If you realy get
down to it, if this case or any civil case were to come to fruitation from this, most any teenaged kid
could be procecuted or sued for teasing in school. We could absolutly flood our court system people
with there feelings hurt. Example, A woman dates a man, he lies to her. She gets mad and wants
revenge. She hurts her self in some way, then sues him, claming by him lieing, caused her to do it. Now
that would be rediculous, but lets face it that is the can of worms this sort of thing is opening.
Whelp guess there's no reason for a trial by jury anymore.
Hi, I just joined the site AdultMatchClub.com It seems to be a really great place to meet people.The
girls on the site are pretty hot. I think it's a great place to meet people.
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So WaT Do You Do When your getting Cyber Bullyed?
I for one am still trying to figure out, why if, this girl was such an idiot, was someone in line to be
punished for that? It still makes no sense. Another case, though usually more likely to be a silly civil
action, where someone is a moron and someone else is supposed to be liable? Please, give me a break.
As another blogger said here, somewhere, if the girl was bipolar or even just clinically depressed, she
needed help! That's the conclusion to be drawn, besides the other one that why did some chump's mom
care what girls at her school think of her daughter? So funny. The interests and views of the
middle-class in this country are still a joke.
In my opinion, the girl is dead. She is gone. Her whole life led up to her committing suicide. People said
things, they ignored any depression she had (it was likely plain as the nose on their face). She hated
herself, already, and as a result, she was emotionally unstable.
Someone did not inform her clearly enough to be safe on the internet. ANYONE (as you all can see by
this article) can pretend to be anyone. If there was a boy named Josh Evon at her school (and she was
talking to 'him' online), she should have talked to him in person about what they said online. There are
many safety precautions that she could have taken, same with her parents and her friends.
But still, the fact remains, the past is passed. Maybe this woman, Tori Drew, will learn her lesson (if not
in this life, in the next). Maybe she won't. Maybe when anyone sees someone who is depressed, they
will compliment them (it WILL make their day worth living, trust me). Whatsoever happens, it will
happen.
Perhaps this girl is happier where she is.
May everyone be blessed by the God or Goddess of their choice, if they believe in any, and so wish to
be blessed.
It's almost as if the justice department has "political action plans" stowed away in their drawers waiting
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for a catastrophe to happen (which statistically is certain). Then they use these angry relatives of
victims to pass the most egregious civil legislation.
Nothing more than cold, hard propaganda. This is just lobbying to make prosecuting weak cases
possible, and making trial-worthy cases sure-fire convictions.
I overheard someone at the coffee shoppe calling this "Battle of the fatty moms". Ah, family rivarly,
woman catfights.
How annoying is it that these tyrants stumble upon our free speech rights.
Woman need to know that real life isn't a soap opera where the world revolves around you. It seriously
annoys people when you get into those fights publicly.
@orbust Before you go playing English nanny, I'd suggest you examine the beam in your own eye...
Damn activist judges, overturning the will of the people!
/s
rvspinx said "Any sort of future legislated “cyberbully” law will be challanged as unconstitional based
on the 1st Amendment, you can not legislate away mean behaviour. Sorry. The entire purpose of the
1st Amendment is to protect unpopular speach (like writing bullying remarks). Sorry, Lori Drew might
be a moron, but she is not a criminal."
I would agree with you if it wasn't an adult going on the internet with specific intent to fuck with a 13
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year old girl. Messing with peoples kids is not just being "mean" its unlawful as well. There are all kinds
of laws that protect children from social deviants like this bitch. I would argue that obviously this girl
had issues, and that she might have done it anyway without the mothers involvement. But to suggest
that an adult can stalk a minor on the internet and mess with their minds and then simply chalking this
behavior up to being "mean" as if this is normal is ludicrous. Its not just mean, its sick. And beyond that
if the parents of this girl new what was going on, they could have had a restraining order on Lori Drew
without hesitation from any judge.
P.S. dude.... challenged, unconstitutional, speech, behavior.... get spell check or something.
The ruling may be correct..... but who doesn't want to see this sick bitch get 10 years of hard labor?
Enjoy Hell Lori Drew, or at least, if there is one, your going to be there.
Emotion is the enemy of logic. Lori Drew was not on trial for causing the suicide of Megan Mier. She
was on trial for hacking. Over zealous prosecutors outside the jurisdicion of Drew and Mier want to
"protect the children" by attempting to apply a TOS that is written by a private entity AND can change
at any time as law. How so many of you can not understand what the issue is with that is simply
amazing. The judge made the right call, the jury didn't follow the rule of law they followed their
emotion in trying to find her guilty of something. Any sort of future legislated "cyberbully" law will be
challanged as unconstitional based on the 1st Amendment, you can not legislate away mean behaviour.
Sorry. The entire purpose of the 1st Amendment is to protect unpopular speach (like writing bullying
remarks). Sorry, Lori Drew might be a moron, but she is not a criminal.
...CORRECTION 3rd sentence from the bottom.. (your mostly out of luck)
*SHOOTS ZOMBIE IN THE FACE *
-latta
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i like this judge..he hit the nail right on the head- this is not what Terms of Service Agreements were
designed to do..TOS's are software usage contracts, They talk of what you can use the software for and
the copyrights that are present but there not statements of law. The law part comes with legislation that
is passed by state and federal legislation's that regards contracts...like copy right laws and FCC
communication protection laws...and clearly the Hacking Law the govt tried to apply does not pass
muster for this..i mean if Drew herself had hacked though servers, bypassed fire walls, busted into
accounts, and done this...yea her goose would be cooked...cause remote hacking is illegal...but for
someone to log on to a site..and telling this kid to kill her self is not illegal..its not..its no more illegal or
different than if Josh Evans was an actual boy at school who conspired with the girls to set up and
completely humiliate this kid...hell its even the plot line right out of Carrie or Rage Carrie 2..this shit
isn't anything new...and ya really wanna know something the problem here..is not that Drew is an
mother of vicious asshole children or that Tina Meier was air headed enough to not realize that her her
kid was a porcelain doll,... the problem here is... there isn't one...this his humanity unscripted...happens
every second, every minute, every day, every place around the world...and in the U.S. really unless its
the legal equivalent of harassment, an active threat, or you have knowingly enabled a person who
wants to commit suicide- (like you give them a gun)..your mostly of luck...therefor in conclusion
THANK YOU JUDGE WU! i can now rest easy that TOS's wont be hunting me down like gang of
enchanted Zombie SS officers who rise from the dead...(im gonna go back to playing COD World at
War now)
I don't disagree with the judge, but why hasn't harrassment charges been files, or possibly possession of
child porn? While the child porn would likely be hard to prove, I wouldn't say impossible because how
many "relationships" don't involve sending suggestive photos?
Criminals are punished so that they wouldn't want to commit those crimes again. Maybe people will
have a different opinion when something like this is done to someone they knew.
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What is sick, is Drew was being convicted for the portion of the crime she didn't actually commit. And
everyone knew it, since the star witness who had immunity, admitted that the whole thing was her idea
and that she sent the girl over the edge with the evil message, not Drew. So seriously, what the hell is
wrong with out legal system? I'm glad this judge had the sense to overturn the case.
Ignorantia juris non excusat.
Ok, So Grills testifies (under promise of immunity from prosecution) that she, not Drew, came up with
the idea, created the account, and made the comment that supposedly sent this girl over the edge. All
the key actions here. Yet Drew is the one most of you try to vilify here. You have to read past the
headlines people. So what exactly did Drew do if Grills did what she testified to?
I'd be more concerned about the parents lack of supervision here. You would leave your 13 year old
daughter on a city street corner out of your sight? The internet is not that different.
There are a lot of different factors in this girls death and this case. To lay all the blame on one person is
not right. As much as people like to have things explained and resolved in a nice little simple package,
it just doesn't happen that way very much.
Do you agree with the findings of Judge Wu that sentencing Drew to prison for violating Web site
service terms might set a dangerous precedent?
http://www.youpolls.com/detail...
.
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@LucidLunatic:
Law isn't about enforcing a verdict because one feels like it. Laws are in place because they are to be
followed, and if someone has not broken a law, they do not deserve a punishment under that law.
However, in this case, I believe if a different direction was taken by the prosecution she would, and
should have, been found guilty.
Frankly I believe that it's a pity Drew isn't facing any real punishment. Yes, the court procedures are a
punishment in and of themselves, but not enough to satisfy me.
Legally speaking, however, Wu probably made the right decision. I would need to read the statute in
full to be sure, but I really doubt her actions were covered under an anti-hacking statute. The point
about them not having read the terms of service, however, was irrelevant. For them not to read a ToS
was their decision, especially considering that they had to check a box saying they had. That is perjury.
She should have been charged with that rather than some farcical hacking charge.
Part of what makes the American legal system great is that a jury of peers is capable of, functionally,
overturning the law in the favor of doing what is morally right. So is a judge, actually. Thus, in a moral
sense, Wu should have done better.
While this woman deserves punishment under the law, America deserves a sense of Justice as well. We
cannot have that justice without laws being _properly_ enforced.
What's missing here is a little wisdom. I'm sure the judge followed the process, even though he felt bad
about letting Drew off. See what Barry Schwartz would think:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/...
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man, some of these comments. Normal, healthy people don't commit suicide. The stigma against mental
illness in this country killed that girl. Lori Drew is certainly an asshat, but those saying she should be in
prison seems to believe that it is easy to talk anyone into suicide. Could I do it to you? Would you stick
around for the treatment? This whole case raises much bigger issues than whether one more moron
should be in our prisons.
Nobody is looking at Megan's Parents, for allowing her online relationship with someone that was
obviously ruining her to go so far?
Far too little responsibility is given to the parents
Can you folks tell a troll when you read one? Geez!
"...Megan Meier who later committed suicide."
Wasn't it about 5 minutes "later"? The phrasing makes it sound like some time had passed.
@ASherbuck: 99.9%? Really??? I suppose you got that from some reliable source as opposed to just
pulling it out of your opinionated ass? And if this is true then why aren't you dead yet?
Why is everyone so upset, this is the way our justice system works in this once great country of ours
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Here is the problem - she will sell her story and make millions. Just wait there will be a movie and
book.
I think people are taking this all too far. They are allowing themselves and their children to become
devoted to having life be what happens on or around the internet. If this girl who committed suicide
had any common sense she would have taken her online relationship into the "real" world and seen that
this relationship was false. Sure, there are dangers with bringing the relationship into the real world,
thats not the topic here though. The girl must have been living in a dream world for her to commit
suicide because someone online said that the world would be better without her. I don't think that this
woman should be charged based on creating a fake profile, or even for sending demeaning messages. I
think rather she was being a bad example for her own daughter. If her daughter sent messages that the
girl on the other end interpreted to mean that suicide was the only answer, the daughter should be
reprimanded, maybe should be banned from computer use for a few years. The family of the girl should
look into their own selves for lacking in support for their daughter and her emotions. It would seem as
though she saw her online "romance" as being the last relationship that mattered, and when that ended
it was time for life to end. Heavy thoughts for someone who hasn't finished puberty.
I agree with the Judge. I think he has his head on straight and isn't inclined to just "make someone pay"
because someone took their own life.
It is sad that the girl took he own life based on one person's opinion whom she had never met or even
had meaningful relations with.
Suicide is a touchy subject, some of my friends know people who have committed suicide, I know
people who have tried, and I have an uncle who did it around the time I was being born. I do believe it
is a cowardly act, but it also takes courage to follow through with it. Courage and strength to push back
all the emotions that get in the way of you following through with your plan.
I hope the family of the girl who took her life will take time to get some counseling and that the
counselor will allow them to understand what their involvement in her suicide was.
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DID YOU SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS CHILD WAS, THAT KILLED HERSELF, DID YOU SEE
THE MOTHERS DAUGHTER, A BIG FAT COW....THATS WHY THE MOTHER PRETENDED TO
BE A BOY, AND MADE THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL UPSET ENOUGH TO TAKE HER OWN
LIFE, ALL FOR HER CHUBBY DAUGHTER WHO WAS SO JEALOUS OVER HER.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
ASHERBUCK....GUESS YOU WERE ONE OF THOSE MEAN GIRLS OR MAYBE STILL
ARE...YOUR A HEARTLESS BULLY..WHAT A LAME COMMENT YOU LEFT.....YOUR
PARENTS AND KIDS SHOULD BE PROUD! LOSER!
SHAME ON THAT JUDGE...HE SHOULD BE LET GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!.....IF YOU ALL
KNEW WHAT WENT ON, ON MYSPACE, YOU WOULD KNOW THIS HAPPENS EVERYDAY.
THERE ARE KIDS AND GROWN UPS PLAYING GAMES AS OTHER PEOPLE RIGHT NOW,
THIS MOTHER (MY GOD) A MOTHER PEOPLE....CAUSED THE DEATH OF A YOUNG GIRL
FOR WHAT..CUZ SHE DID NOT LIKE HER OWN DAUGHTER NOT BEING THE CENTER OF
ATTENTION...THIS JUDGE BETTER MAKE SURE HIS KIDS ARE SAFE, FOR HIS DECISION,
MADE IT CLEAR, IT WAS OK TO DO, UNDER SOME FREAKIN MYSPACE PRIVACY RULES!
Lori Drew is an asshole. We get this. But seriously people, get your head out of your ass. The charges
against Lori Drew were bogus, and due to jurisdictional matters, all the DA could do was use bogus
charges to begin with.
One major thing to keep in mind in this case:
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Instances where an individual clearly did someting very wrong that are prosecuted with an approach of
"let's find a law that we can use to punish this person, even if it has no direct relation to the crime"
have potentially massive harmful effects in the long term. They result in precedents that are way out of
line and can easily be misused by prosecutors and administrations later on.
Sue the crap out of Drew (and her accomplices), but don't grasp at stuff like "she violated a business
contract's ToS, so she's guilty of a *Federal crime*".
Things are bad enough with the RIAA and friends spending massive lobbying dollars trying to morph
piracy into terrorism. Further greasing of the rails on what is already a fast track to fascism does the
country no good.
Good to see that some American officials still stand up for freedom.
And the day before Fourth of July weekend, no less.
Man, this feels good!
This child's death is tragic but people need to wake up to the reality of life, thousands of children are
bullied everyday and nothing is done about it. Parents are told about it by they child and ignored or
told to just ignore the bully's, did Mrs. Drew do something wrong? Yes but did she do something against
the law? No.
This event is tragic but until we decide to create a law against bullying nothing illegal was done in this
case and no one should serve jail time because of it.
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Thank you thecodemonk. I had just about lost my faith in humanity, as it is it's hanging on by a thread.
As thecodemonk said how can any of you defend what was happening to Lori Drew? Yes she was a
bitch, what she did was morally wrong, and may have contributed to the girls suicide. BUT, they
weren't charging her with that, they were charging her with violating Myspace's Terms of Service. How
many of you can honestly say you've never used false information at any time on the internet? How
many of you have let your children use false information (saying they are older to be able to get on to
sites like myspace) well then you should be in a cell as well, if this would have held up. There is no
such thing as cyberbullying, there is bullying period. There are already things in place for it as well.
And one last angle to look at. To quote iZealot777 from a past comment about this case "A guy gets
fired, goes home, slays his wife and children, then himself. Should his boss be imprisoned? A vet comes
back from war, suffers horribly via nightmares and PTSD, slays himself, should the US government
face trial? I find out I have the herpes, the AIDS and genwarts, learn that no ladies want to bed me, I
decide that without my promiscuity, I am nothing, so I conspire to end myself, should your mom be
held responsible? If I get cancer, and decide that a quick death would be preferable to a slow agony,
should we put the sun on trial? Ridiculous."
Without placing threats and being perceived as an imminent threat, how can anyone directly lead to
someones suicide? And again, this wasn't about suicide, this was about violating Myspace's TOS. BAH
This womans life is over. The minute you talk a 13 year old girl into commiting suicide is the minute
that everyone in your community turns on you. Rightfuly so, what kind of 50 year old woman gets her
jollies from knocking a little girl's dick in the dirt? One that won't get service from any Missouri
business. One who will forever endure stares and whispers behind her back, snide and brutal comments
to her face, and one who will always have her property stolen or vandalized. Lori Drew, You are not
welcome in my state any more. You'd be better off staying in California.
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