Lori Drew MySpace Suicide Conviction Thrown Out, by John W. Dozier
August 30, 2009
On August 28, Judge George Wu of the United States District Court for the Central District of California overturned the conviction of Lori Drew and dismissed the case against Lori Drew relating to the suicide of Megan Meier. The Judge found that for purposes of this criminal prosecution the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the federal law upon which the Jury returned a guilty verdict, was unconstitutionally void for vagueness. You’d have to be a master marksman to draft a User Agreement that would meet constitutional muster in the face of criminal indictment.
The Judge found that Congress had not established adequately and clearly the minimal guidelines to govern law enforcement, but the decision did not affect civil causes of action and the ability of websites to protect their properties using this law.