View Full Version : Can I sue for defamation of character
humiliatedinsd
Nov 5, 2012, 07:19 PM
My 12 year old daughter was falsely accused of stealing an iPod. The accuser sent a text message to all of her friends stating that she stole the iPod. Her mother acosted my daughter after school and verbally accused her in front of her other friends. The text message has gone viral and is affecting my daughter socially but more importantly, she is being distracted in school by all this gossip. Her accuser was instructed to send the text out by her mother. There are over 3 dozen confirmed receipts of this message. It's a mess and I don't know how to stop this mother and child from these false accusations. Can I sue for both slander and liable since she used her cell phone to send the message?
ballengerb1
Nov 5, 2012, 07:42 PM
3 dozen confirmed recipients is hardly viral and your best bet is to contact the parent directly and tell her to leave your daughter alone or to file a police report if she seriously believes the cahrge to be true. Did this happen at school or where? Your daughter has not suffered any monetary damages so sueing is a waste of time at this point. Most childish arguments and complaints die quickly if left ignored
ScottGem
Nov 6, 2012, 06:37 AM
Actually I would go to the school over this. They should mediate since its affecting behavior at the school.
You probably can sue, but since there are probably no provable monetary damages, the most you might get is a formal admission and apology.
tickle
Nov 6, 2012, 07:17 AM
3 dozen confirmed recipients is hardly viral and your best bet is to contact the parent directly and tell her to leave your daughter alone or to file a police report if she seriously believes the cahrge to be true. Did this happen at school or where? Your daughter has not suffered any monetary damages so sueing is a waste of time at this point. Most childish arguements and complaints die quickly if left ignored
This is a form of bullying and will not be ignored or die quickly. Mediation is necessary between the two parties supervised by the school and the parents.
I feel very sorry for all concerned. The girl and her parent who instigated this. A grown up should have known better and did not set a good example.
This has to be nipped in the bud before escalates into something far worse.
ballengerb1
Nov 6, 2012, 05:25 PM
It has not been made clear where this took place. If it happened in school then the admins might take this on but if the stealing supposedly took place outside school then they should/would stay out of it.
ScottGem
Nov 7, 2012, 05:28 AM
It has not been made clear where this took place. If it happened in school then the admins might take this on but if the stealing supposedly took place outside school then they should/would stay out of it.
I disagree. Wherever it happened, the other child and parent have made it an issue the school needs to deal with. I agree with tickle it's a form of bullying that school should address.