QUESTION
Is impersonating someone and trying to ruin a relationship considered defamation and illegal?
Asked on May 11th, 2016 on Personal Injury - Michigan
More details to this question:
My boyfriend's brother received picture text messages from a random number that ended up being disconnected immediately afterwards (we believe they could've used a Burner app to create a fake number). The texts made it seem like they were talking to me (they put my number as the contact name) and it had me saying stuff about cheating on my boyfriend and very vulgar things about other relationships I supposedly am in. All the allegations are completely false. They even put my address in the text messages to make it seem like they were talking to me (my address and number can both be found on my university's website, I have recently taken them down). This has caused a lot of stress in my relationship because the allegations were so bad. Do the police have the power to track this number? And is this considered defamation?
1 ANSWER
Ronald A. Steinberg
If someone says, or writes, things which cause you 1) to lose standing in the community, or 2) cause you emotional upset, you can sue them. Truth is an absolute defense. However, you have to be able to prove who the person is, and the internet gives everyone anonymity, which allows a lot of people with no spine to say things and then crawl back under the rocks that they hide beneath.
Answered on Jun 01st, 2016 at 7:07 AM