April 9, 2007 11:00 AM PDT
Principal sues ex-students over MySpace profiles
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Eric Trosch was principal of Hickory High School in Hermitage, Penn., at the time the short-lived profiles went up on the popular social-networking site. He claims that the students committed defamation by posting three separate profiles bearing his name, official school portrait and a host of "unsubstantiated allegations, derogatory comments and false statements" about him, according to a complaint filed last month in Mercer County, Penn., civil court.
Each of the disputed sites, which went online during the course of one week in December 2005, was removed within days of its appearance after school officials contacted MySpace.com. Trosch has since become principal of Hermitage Middle School.
One profile, which the complaint claims was created by a student named Thomas Cooper, listed an unnamed pornographic flick as Trosch's favorite movie, according to the complaint. Another profile, allegedly posted by students Christopher and Brendan Gebhart, claimed he "liked to have sex with students and brutalize women." A third profile said he "kept a keg of beer behind his desk at school, was on steroids, and smoked marijuana," the court filing said.
The latter posting, which the complaint attributes to Justin Layshock, is already the subject of a federal lawsuit that has been wending its way through court since early last year.
Layshock--then a 17-year-old Hickory High School senior with a 3.3 GPA--and his parents sued Trosch and the Hermitage school district over the school's response to the incident. Its response included suspending him from school and placing him in an alternative education program that allegedly prevented him from progressing with his normal coursework. That complaint argues the school's actions were excessive, violated Layshock's First Amendment free-speech rights, and interfered with his parents' freedom to judge how best to raise and educate their son.
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The internet is just the next thing past writing or engraving juvenile prose on the bathroom walls. We should just be thankful its not costly to us taxpayers like real vandalism.
In my opinion, this high school principal should be terminated as he does not show himself to be leadership material. If you can?t let dissent roll of your back and rise above you have no business leading people. Imagine the world if President Bush started suing everyone that called him a draft dodging, coke snorting, drunk, with bad grades.
Fortunately, those lawsuits will help others, like the poster above, learn about what rights are and what they aren't, without costing them a nickel.
The internet didn't magically change the US libel laws.
I so sick of whiny people like this principle crying to the courts becaus etheir feelings have been hurt. I deal with negative comments about myslef all the time. The difference is that I have to deal with comments from all over our great nation. Poor baby. Ahh, someone needs a binky.
Your Right to Freedom of Speech ENDS where another person's begins.
Now... if you want to go and say "Well can the school punish a kid if it was on a personal level" then yes... the case has some water to step in. It was debated at my school when the same occured... if he didn't access it at school... didn't create it at school... didn't advertise it at school... he seperated his personal and school lives. Its like cursing at home and being suspended at school for it.
These students should be ashamed of their children's poor behavior. The parents should demand that their children apoligize for they did and said to Mr. Trosch. Their children were punished for what they did, as they should be. Now Layshock's parents think they have the right to sue? That is outrageous, no wonder why their kid is a mess. They need a counselor not a lawyer. They obiviously lack the morals and character for good parenting, Thinking they should be rewarded for their poor behavior, now that is the saddest part of this whole story.
For the principal to prevail he should need to show that someone took the kids stunts seriously.
It would have been better if the students had just used Photoshop to make him a butt-head. (Search Google for - butt-head astronomer sagan - if you are curious.)
All the lawsuits show is that we have become a nation of hyper-sensitive potential plaintiffs hoping to strike it rich. Sad.
If the student had slapped the principal, no one would be shocked that the student was punished. The child instead slanders the principal - and the principal is supposed to just deal with it. I think there are some screwed up values here.
How did the students damage his reputation if the profiles were clearly fakes and parodies?
Putting the question of law aside--who is this thin-skinned jerk?!? People like Trosch are bullies in suits who are more interested in putting kids "in their place" than helping them develop into adults.
My high school's vice principal, Dave Connolly, was like this--more interested in handing down detentions and bullying students than making the school a safe and pleasant environment. Everyone called him "Brave Dave" because we all knew he was a coward. Back when the students were allowed to put on a show, Connolly was regularly parodied as a heavy-handed buffoon. You didn't see any lawsuits coming from that...
I hope Eric Trosch has an easier time at the Middle School. Poor baby.
need I say more?
need I say more?
next time you consider vandalism... be it car windows or people's
reputations.
Little fuvkers are lucky he didn't lose it and break some face... You
shvits ever hear of the "Golden Rule?" ***, I'd do the couple years
probation for a provoked attack... Jus sayin'
They crossed the line by implying sexual impropriety which could potentially pave the way for his life both professionally and otherwise to be ruined.
From what I understand, the kid posed as the principal then posted a fake profile as that principal.
Is then it ok on MY Space to pose as someone else then post a fake profile?
So to those of you who say "just shrug it off", or that "the principle is too thin-skinned", or "the school over-reacted", you've clearly shown you all fail to understand the ramifications of an accusation of sexual impropriety on a person's professional career and personal life. In fact, you're all clearly ignorant, your opinions have zero merit, and any posts by you here are of as much value as the grunting of pigs on the farm.
- Have you ever been defamed online?
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by Victim of Cyberstalking
April 11, 2007 9:26 AM PDT
- I can understand the principals point of view. As a person who has had their name, picture and numerous defamitory and libelous statements made on a searchable forum I ask this: How is it legal for the poster has more rights covered by freedom of speach than the person who has been defamed?
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See all 82 Comments >>You do realize that there are websites designed and created with the only purpose to embarrass modify, defame and cruxify people that have pissed off other people? I could give you a list. Should they be covered under the freedom of speech. I think not!
Check out: dontdatehim.com playersandpsychos.com cheaternews.com.
I love this one: on survivinginfidelity.com if you post I believe its 52 messages you are let into a "secret" forum for investigative issues. In other words, if you post enough on that site, you can get into a forum on how to get revenge by posting on the above listed sites, hacking into email accounts...
At least myspace takes the profiles off when contacted. Some of the sites I listed above do not. playersandpsychos does but the others will not!