MyCrimeSpace

Lawsuits aplenty over fake MySpaces

by Trench on April 5th, 2007

Principal sues 4 ex-students over profiles on Myspace:
I apologize in advance because this post is going to be full of snark.

A middle school principal in Pennsylvania is suing four former students over a string of MySpaces that allegedly humiliated the principal.

The Hermitage Middle School principal has sued four former students over “demeaning” and “demoralizing” Myspace.com profiles they created about him.

Eric W. Trosch, who was co-principal of Hickory High School at the time, said in the defamation lawsuit filed in Mercer County Common Pleas Court that the three profiles, created in December 2005, damaged his reputation — possibly permanently — humiliated him and impaired his earning capacity.

Really? I fail to see how a couple of fake MySpaces can impair your earning capacity when I’m sure it’s obvious that the MySpaces are fake.

Or could it be that this is nothing more than a pissing match?

Trosch filed the lawsuit against Justin Layshock, Thomas Cooper and brothers Brendan and Christopher Gebhart.

Layshock publicly acknowledged creating a Myspace profile of Trosch in a federal lawsuit he and his parents, Donald and Cheryl Layshock, filed against Trosch, Hermitage School District, co-principal Chris Gill and Superintendent Karen A. Ionta.

The Layshocks, who were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, said Justin’s profile was protected by the First Amendment, rendering the school’s punishment of Justin illegal. That punishment included a suspension and reassignment to an alternative education program.

It seems that the Layshock family don’t understand that free speech doesn’t mean you’re free from the repercussions of said speech.

The whole thing is ridiculous. The students need to accept their punishment and Mr. Trosch needs to man up.

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POSTED IN: Lawsuit, School