Legal Question in Technology Law in Texas

I said some particularly rude things to a woman in a private message on Facebook. I did swear. However, I did not say anything threatening to her or her family. I am 18, but still in high school. I used my phone and a 4g connection to post this. I did not use any school computers or networks. She tried to claim that this was cyberbulling because she felt threatened. However, the school sent her away because there was nothing they could do. She replied to my message by insulting me, but did not swear. She has now threatened to take this issue to the police. Are there any laws that forbid this on Facebook? I am also looking for advice on how to defend myself. I messaged her in response to her calling my theatre director a "Dinosaur." I acted independently and did not involve the school or theatre in any way. I also looked into the school's bullying policy. It stated clearly that it was only effective for student to student actions.


Asked on 5/11/12, 2:28 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

You're asking two distinct questions: whether you committed a crime and whether you violated the school's rules.

There are laws about making threatening statements, and they apply to statements made via Facebook just as they do to any other statements. There is no way to know whether you violated these laws without knowing exactly what you said and in what context. Your characterization of what you said is not enough.

As to how you should defend yourself if you're charged, get a lawyer. If you can't afford one, the court will appoint one for you.

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Answered on 5/11/12, 9:30 pm


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