Internet Harrassment

[littletownmom]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin
I had a woman post an ad on Craigslist with my picture with a very sexual explicate saying to go with it. Basically asking for sex. Found out who did it and Craigslist gave me the IP address of the computer. To make a long story short.. the woman was fired from her job for doing this on her jobs computer during working hours.
What are my rights? How can I take action? I don't know that she did not post my picture anywhere else on the internet.

 

[quincy]

You have an advantage in knowing who this woman is, so taking legal action against her would be easier than it is for many who are dealing with anonymous posters online. However, you also know that this woman now has no job, which probably means she has little or no money, which also probably means suing her may be fruitless. Any damages awarded would be hard to collect.

You could check with a Wisconsin lawyer and inquire about your legal options, one of which could be a simple letter from the attorney to this woman informing her that if she does not remove all photos and derogatory statements about you from the internet, you will sue for invasion of privacy/false light and/or defamation, or file a complaint against her for unlawful use of a computer.

There really is very little you can do to eliminate ALL photos of you from the internet, if others have taken what was on Craigslist already and posted the photo and sexually-explicit text elsewhere. You would have to deal with each website where the photos turn up, if and when they do.

 

[littletownmom]

Thank you.
I went to the police dept and filed a report against her but they have yet to do anything. The police dept told me they can file charges against her but what charges I do not know.
This woman is now dating and living with my ex, who I have a child with. She states that she has lots of pictures of me on his computer, which there is but not for her personal use.
I want to do everything I can to show this woman that she cannot doing these things to people because you don't like them.

 

[quincy]

You were wise to file a police report.

There are several criminal laws the woman who lives with your ex could potentially be prosecuted under, and there are civil actions to explore, as well.

In Wisconsin, there are both criminal and civil defamation laws, for instance, so the woman could potentially be prosecuted for the misdemeanor (942.01), and/or you could bring a civil action against her for reputational injury.

The woman could also (potentially) be charged under Wisconsin's computer crime code (943.70) and you could sue for injunctive relief.

There is also a misappropriation law under which she could potentially be charged (943.201) or you could potentially sue her for invasion of privacy/misappropriation of a name or likeness. Or you could potentially sue her for invasion of privacy/false light.

There is no doubt from what you have posted that this woman violated laws and there is legal recourse available. Contacting the police and filing a report was, as I said, a wise thing to do. You may also want to contact an attorney and explore the other options available to you (although some of the options are extremely costly ones).

Good luck.

 

[Zephyr]

OP- you and I might need to talk- going through something very similar right now...send me a pm