I've been getting harassed by email over the past few weeks. Juat insults, but no serious threats. The sender was anonymous. I threatened to call the cops and press charges.
Now they apologized and promised to stop, but they refuse to identify themselves.
Can I still press charges or get them in trouble?
2007-12-06 08:32:37 · 12 answers · asked by Eva L 2 in Social Science ➔ Gender Studies
The laws for what you describe tend to vary from county to county. But the default condition is that it is completely legal. Freedom of speech allows any of us to express our opinions, even if they are uncomplimentary to other people.
What a lot of harassment laws permit you to do is to file a restraining order to try and stop the action itself. Once the order is in place, further negative behaviour of the same kind can then be punished criminally. That would mean that UNTIL you get a court order against this person, there would be nothing the police could do. Some states do have stricter laws against computer harassment than they do about other kinds, but again that depends on where you live.
If you can demonstrate that your harasser caused some kind of monetary damages, you can often sue him to recover those moneys. This can be a hard thing to prove sometimes, but some cases have won for things like psychological visits, business interruptions, and the like. In these cases it doesn't matter if he is still damaging you... just that he demonstrably damaged you once.
Most computer networks don't want to get pulled in to such cases, so they have (sometimes subtle) rules against harassment of various kinds. So if you want to go after this person, this might be the best way - by getting his own accounts and access cancelled by companies who don't want users such as him on their system.
If you are serious, it might be best to consult an attourney in your area. Some of them will tell you your options for little or no money up front. And because of the variability of the law, it may be the only way to really know what those options are.
2007-12-06 08:59:37 · answer #1 · answered by Doctor Why 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Anyone can go to the cops with anything and ask if there is a law or some official way to charge someone with a crime.
However, you may find that your charge gets a low priority if active harrassment has stopped and you have received an apology, however insincere.
Police will prioritise active threats over former threats.
But, you can try if you have evidence (if you have kept the emails, for example).
Cheers :-)
2007-12-06 09:08:41 · answer #2 · answered by thing55000 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. The cops won't investigate; women on this forum are sent harassing emails all the time. You aren't in danger; nothing threatening your life was sent. Insulting people isn't against the law.
2007-12-06 14:20:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Insulting someone is rude and inconsiderate, etc. But, I don't know that it's a crime.
You can always attempt to press charges, but you would have to identify the person, prove that it was him/her, and then hope that there is a statute that includes insulting someone as harassment.
The bar seems out of reach, but you can give it a shot.
2007-12-06 09:06:39 · answer #4 · answered by Numark 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If this person was from YA then you could've just blocked them, problem solved. No need to bring the cops into something that can be stopped very easily.
Yeah I know, there are a lot o creepy people on here.. But keep in mind that *most* of them are harmless and are just trying to get a reaction.
2007-12-06 08:43:13 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably not. You may be able to press charges, but a judge most likely would not convict. I am not an expert, but most types of harassment is not harassment until the person is warned they are harassing. After that one can usually pres charges. So, it may not be legal harassment until you told him to stop, once he stops there is no harassment.
Like sexual harassment in the workforce is only considered harassment after you inform the company of the situation. You cannot go straight to the courts and call it harassment.
2007-12-06 08:51:35 · answer #6 · answered by joe1max 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
what is your goal? to get the harassment to stop? that is done. to get an apology? done. did you suffer any losses or damages in a legal sense? probably not. so don't waste any more of anyone's time, you already got everything you could hope for and more.
2016-04-07 22:10:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
that would be up to the district attorney in your area but u can file a report with the police dept. they might send a detective to talk to u but if its no serious threat then i doubt very much will be done but yes u can still press charges.
2007-12-06 11:04:25 · answer #8 · answered by RocketfromtheCrypt 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think maybe your the problem you just like getting people in trouble ..Why don t you move some where else
2015-05-28 14:16:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah i think so. But how did the senders get your personal email? Hardly anyone knows my personal one, even the really hot chicks....
2007-12-06 09:02:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋