Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Missouri

Young boy accused of sick things

I live in a small town, my son was accused by an old man of raping a goat. Old man has told everyone he knows. My son's life is hell, schoolkids make fun of him, kids hollar goat raper to him in public and in stores. People treat him badly because old man will not stop, he thinks it's funny. We are new to area, he grew up here. My son is innocent, old man is troublemaker, recently had jaw broken by another individual he accused of sick stuff. My son is depressed to point of suicide - he is only 16, old man in 70's. Does my son have any recourse at all? This may sound stupid, but my son had dreams of the Air Force Academy and now he's sure this will destroy his chances when they do background check. Old man knew his dream and now rubs it in that son will never get in. The harassment is terrible, but I cannot afford to move out of here.


Asked on 5/08/03, 3:44 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Mark Reiter

Re: Young boy accused of sick things

Based on the facts you posted, it looks like your son could file suit against the man for defamation and/or intentional infliction of emotional distress. The former appears more likely to succeed than the latter. You might not be able to recover much in the way of damages from the old man but you might be able to get him to write a public apology for the falsehoods and you could certainly get him to stop spreading such lies about your son. I recommend you contact an attorney in your area that is familiar with defamation laws. Best of luck.

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Answered on 5/08/03, 8:23 am


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