MySpace Victim's Mom Seeks Justice

MySpace Victim's Mom Seeks Justice

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

filed under: family

Tina Meier talks to momlogic.

myspace suicide mom tina meier with photos of megan meier

Last week, a federal judge tentatively threw out the convictions of Missouri mom Lori Drew, who had been charged with fraud in connection with a fake MySpace page targeting her 13-year-old neighbor, Megan Meier. Megan Meier later committed suicide.

Megan's mom, Tina Meier, talks to momlogic about this shocking ruling.

momlogic: When did you find out about the judge's decision, and what was your reaction?

Tina Meier: The decision came down on Thursday, July 2nd. I feel aggravation and disappointment. I truly feel that the message the judge is sending out is a bad one. It's stating that if we as individuals use the Internet and don't read the terms of service, we can still make a false profile, harass someone, impersonate someone, and do whatever we want ... and if something happens, we are not held liable because we didn't read the terms of service. This is a horrible message to be sending sexual predators, husbands, wives, exes, and anyone who wants to cause harm or get revenge on someone else. Now, what I am doing with the Megan Meier Foundation is asking anyone who disagrees with the judge's decision to please contact the judge's court clerk and let him know why you disagree. The judge's decision is not 100% until it's in writing. I am not sure when that will be, so I am asking people to write him as soon as possible. The AP did an article right after the decision and they did an online survey asking how many people agreed with the ruling. Over 90,000 people clicked on the survey and over 89% disagreed. These are people who use the Internet. We need to stand up and protect our children. This is one step towards asking the judge to do something positive and set a precedent.

ML: Where will you go from here?

Tina: I am fighting to let the judge know there are people out there who disagree with his ruling. If he doesn't read the letters or listen, then there is nothing more I can do, but we need to get our voices heard. The jury found Lori Drew guilty, but he threw out the decision and now she goes free. Right now, the decision is still tentative until it's in writing, which is again why I am asking people to write the judge as soon as possible.

I can't let this decision stop the course I am on. I am going to continue to get out there. There are two components. The first is legislative. There is a federal bill out there that has been proposed by Congresswoman Linda Sanchez in California. We need a law that will state if you use the Internet to harm or harass someone, you need to be held accountable -- just like when you drink and drive and kill an innocent family on the road, you need to be held responsible. On the federal level, it will cover everyone, and not just go state by state. The second component is to get into the schools and continue to talk and educate the kids, parents, educators, etc. We need kids to understand the effects this has on others, when they get into arguments or harass each other online. I want to show them real life stories of how people have taken their lives when this could have been prevented.

Do you think the judge's decision should be overruled? Comment below.

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I believe the judge in this case was on the planet Mars when he came to this decision. It is appalling that a person can get away with causing a child to commit suicide.

- Joseph Weiss

Posted 07/07/09 03:26 PM

Reading some of your comments amaze me even though, I know, I shouldn’t be surprised by people and their views anymore. This world is so messed up. Why are most of you blaming the girl and her mother? where IS the compassion, the empathy, the need for the adult to know her right from her wrong, THE ABSOLUTE BLACK AND WHITE OF not harrassing a child no matter what the circumstances behind them are. This woman is the adult. She knows that what she was doing was absolutely wrong, yet she went ahead and did it. She should be punished for this. Sending the message that this is ok, is equally wrong. Each one of these types of instances, piled up, is ruining this world and the people who reside in it. Those of us who still realized there are consequenses for our actions and we are responsible for them, need to guard this which is still valuable to us and stand up to those threatening the moral fiber of our world. Once that fiber is ripped apart, there is no repairing it.

- Shelley

Posted 07/07/09 03:26 PM

This woman contributed to factors that led up to the suicide of a young girl. I am sure that she was by no means the sole reason for the suicide. I believe she should be held accountable for being a factor but she is not a murderer. Please calm youselves people and look at the whole picture instead of just demonizing this woman. One commenter actually made the statement that she hoped this woman is harrassed in the same way as she harrassed. That statement is just ignorant. We shouldn’t lead lives of condemnation, but work to further our own understanding of others and their actions. Only through understanding the reasons for hostility and hatred can we move beyond the torch bearing, hateful, terrified society that we have become. This is true for terrorism, hate groups, racism, and any other groups expressing extreme behavior. Understand. Forgive.

- Bauer

Posted 07/07/09 03:27 PM

Are people seriousle blaming Megans parents for what happened? Read the story. When i posted my comment earlier and i said mother i ment the woman who impersonated a goodlooking male! Mrs.Drew needs to take responsability. She didn’t tell the family anything, she is a heartless woman that took out her own insecuritys on an innocent girl, and for that she needs to be punished

- Kim

Posted 07/07/09 03:27 PM

Tina should have been more involved. yes it’s ashame what happened to Meghan, but it started long long before Lori Drew got involved! Tina is at fault, poor poor parenting!

- jaywest

Posted 07/07/09 03:27 PM

My heart goes out to the Megan Family. The jugde was wrong on his ruling. that means more cyber bullies,are free to do what they want.. and for Lori Drew, U got another thing coming. I hope the Megan Family hit u with a civil suit.

- Joe

Posted 07/07/09 03:27 PM

Listen up people! You are all missing the point! Every time something bad happens to a child, we have a pain stricken parent championing the cause of their dead child! The problem with this, is every time lawmakers get together and write legislation to “save the children,” the REST of us lose just one more right! If I want to be mean and cruel to someone on the internet and then that person goes and commits suicide, Why am I to blame? Why should I go to jail?! I didn’t hold a gun to this persons’ head and pull the trigger! This country is going down the tubes very fast people! And part of the problem is the rate at which we are losing our liberties and freedoms for noble causes such as “protecting our children!” We must have compassion for these grief stricken parents while also insisting that the keep from infringing on the rest of us!

- Mike

Posted 07/07/09 03:28 PM

It is a shame that Lori Drew got away with this crime. It is disgusting how far she was willing to go to try to get information. She is an accomplice in Megan’s death. Unfortunately, there is really no punishment to fit the crime in this case. What can you think of a person who can do something like this and not have any remorse? I wonder what Lori Drew would think if something similar happened to one of her kids. How would she respond?

- Rena

Posted 07/07/09 03:29 PM

THIS WOMAN SHOULD GO TO JAIL!!!!!

- Doug

Posted 07/07/09 03:29 PM

Definitely not pleased with the judges decision

- karen

Posted 07/07/09 03:29 PM

I am horrified by the judge’s decision. The reason we have a jury is to let the case be judged by a group of UNBIASED peers. Throwing out the jury’s decision is bullshit. I wish you all the luck in the world sorting this out. And if the judge ever reads this…you should be ashamed of yourself!!!!!

- Alex

Posted 07/07/09 03:29 PM

Emotional and verbal abuse of a child from THEIR OWN PARENT is not considered illegal, there must be physical harm involved to lock the parent up. Otherwise, the child may just be taken away and placed in a more suitable home. I work with such families. A neighbor saying that sort of stuff has less of an effect than a parent. The only thing this woman is guilty of is having a fake myspace. My children have myspaces and a note on that: their accounts are set up for them as children, where they cannot talk to anyone who is not listed as a friend. Why did the girl think this person was a friend and not block her? I am so sorry for this loss but it could have been prevented. If one of my children committed suicide I could only blame myself for not doing enough, not someone who was cruel enough to say those things over the internet. It is God’s job to judge how wrong she was to do what she did.

- Elli

Posted 07/07/09 03:30 PM

Why is everyone so quick to blame anyone but themselves! Blame the music,(remember Ozzy?), the internet… whatever! as long as she feels like she has a “cause” she is free from her responsibility to BE A PARENT! I would be taking a close look at that household! Where is the supervision? Where is the “the talk” about EVERYTHING from sex to the internet that you need to have with your children… that’s right… CHILDREN, they call them that because they are YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! You made them, why is it always someone elses fault when you screw up? (Disclaimer… please don’t let your kids read this, they might do something stupid and make you look bad!) GROW UP PEOPLE! Take responsibility for your mistakes! NO, I am not saying what she did was right, but the other 10 million people being “disrespected” on the internet aren’t killing themselves over it! And the 89% that disagreed with the judge… please… nothing but other Dr Phil watching moms that lack better judgement! I AGREE WITH THE JUDGE, there is a disclaimer for everything in this world, learn to read them or else you are going to start a sad trend of disregarding all disclaimers everywhere! Then your 13 yr old will be allowed to to whatever they want because you fought to allow the “no disclaimer means anything” rule! If you let your kids play online, then be prepared to explain what can happen, IN DETAIL before they find it the hard way!!! =^..^=

- ^..^Damien ^..^

Posted 07/07/09 03:31 PM

sick people who think a 13 year old should know better. they are still innocent and should be protected with laws and punishment by those that would take advantage.

- jerry

Posted 07/07/09 03:31 PM

Its too bad when someone kills thierselve, was it the womens fault? I don’t think so…People call people names all the time, whether it be on the internet or in person, If i call someone out on the street and they go kill theirselve later am i going to feel bad, Yes, but am I going to blame myself, NO. It sounds like this girl had problems to begin with and her mother wasn’t paying attention. Charge to mother for neglect or something if you wanna throw someone in jail. Sorry lady, but going after this lady isn’t going to bring your daughter back, You need to find closure somewhere, if you want someone to blame, blame your daughter for taking her own life.

- Joey

Posted 07/07/09 03:31 PM

Megan hmmm….what a waste of life! I mean comitting suicide because someone said something mean on the internet?!?!?! GROW UP!!! Not everybody in the world is going to like you! Their will ALWAYS be someone on this earth to try and make you feel worthless. Only if you can stand up to them and prove them wrong…do you deserve your life!

- Egypt

Posted 07/07/09 03:34 PM

A child is dead and her parents will suffer every day of their life because of it. The woman who maliciously and deliberately worked to destroy an innocent teen should suffer years and years in jail. This adult woman knew exactly what she was doing and should be held accountable. SHAME ON THIS JUDGE AND THE SYSTEM!!!

- rabtenjess

Posted 07/07/09 03:35 PM

That fat a$$ should go to jail! What a pig! Who picks on a child? What a pathetic loser she must be!! I can only hope kharma hits her and tragedy strikes her or her family so can feel the same pain she caused!!

- mike

Posted 07/07/09 03:35 PM

People stop! Lori Drew just pushed her over the edge….Megan was actually a little heavyset, she just edited photos on the computer, and she got bullied at her school and had basically no friends and then her mother had to put her in a private school and it didn’t get much better! That Lori Drew pushed her too far….she felt like she had no choice but to end her life to make it stop. Being a kid myself, being bullied even a lil bit hurts a lot, (and im not suicidal) but dont blame it on megan. She couldnt take the pain anymore. And by the way, ALMOST EVERY TEENAGE GIRL HAS A MYSPACE ACCOUNT (i dont though lol) SO DONT BLAME HER PARENTS FOR THAT EITHER. IF YOU DO, YOUR GETTING MAD AT THE MAJORITY OF PARENTS OF TEENAGE GIRLS SO LAY OFF PLEASE!! I bet a lot of you do the same thing or have a myspace account. jeez this is so sad and when you blame the victim it hurts a lot

- Lindsey

Posted 07/07/09 03:36 PM

I find that Ms.Drew, as an adult, should be held accountable for her actions. If, under the law she has not committed a crime then she is at the very lest morally culpable. I hope that if nothing else a wrongful action suit may be filed against her. If the parents can use that monies to set up somekind of foundation to fight for more accountability (legally) and more education in the area of cyberharrassment then maybe something positive can be made out of this tragedy

- Pen

Posted 07/07/09 03:37 PM