Four Tips For Cyber Bullying Victims Who Wish To Pursue Legal Action
If you have been the victim of cyber bullying, you may have legal recourse. If the bullying involves slanderous statements about you, you may be able to bring criminal charges against the bully. And in most cases, you can at least pursue a civil case in which you sue the bully for emotional damage caused by their actions. However, pursuing legal action against a cyber bully is not easy, especially if you do not have obvious proof of the bully's identify. Here are four tips to follow as you initiate this process.
Save Everything
Especially if your attorney needs to work to discover the identity of the cyber bully, it is essential that you save every interaction with them, from Facebook messages to emails. Your attorney can use e-discovery software to try and isolate the bully's IP address, and based on that information, they can narrow down the bully's identity. Even if the bully did a good job of covering their tracks on most interactions, all it takes is one slip-up in masking their identity. The e-discover software will find that one slip-up.
Do Not Respond
It may be tempting to respond in a manner in which you tell your bully off or stand up for yourself. However, your best bet is not to respond to the bully at all, unless your lawyer gives you specific guidance to say something. The court could misinterpret your response as your desire to engage with and continue speaking with the bully. No interaction at all shows the court that the bully is relentless in contacting you, even though you did nothing to originate that contact.
See a Therapist
Cyber bullying can take a huge toll on your emotional state. Navigating court case related to the bullying will be trying, so make sure you get the help you need by seeing a therapist about the situation. This also demonstrates to the court the extent of the damage the bully has done to you.
Hire a Specialized Attorney
Cyber crimes like cyber bullying are a very niche field of law. Attorneys who work in this field need to be very well-versed in technology. Attorneys who specialize in other law fields may not have the knowledge or even the e-discovery software necessary to pursue your case, so seek out a specialist.
Pursuing a case against your cyber bully won't be easy, but following the tips above will increase your chances of success.
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