Minor Child/Neighbor Trouble

[pixie56]

I have a 13 year old son who about 8 months ago, in a moment of impulsiveness, was asked by an older minor (15) to tell an 8 year old he couldn't play baseball unless he got a pair of his sister's underwear if he wanted to play. The 8 year old did just that. His Mom called the police of which nothing came of it. No crime was commited. My son has done absolutely nothing wrong since! Twice she has talked to my son and then said she has audio and/or videotaped the conversation and was going to the police with it. I know this is illegal in MI. Now this woman and I got into an argument a few days ago and she called me a b*tch and I called her one back. That's not the trouble! Then this woman stood outside our townhouse on the side talking LOUDLY to my new neighbor saying my son was a "pervert" "keep your children away from him" "his Mom is the same way", "he is a mental case" "he has the makings of a pedophile", etc. I yelled at her to shut up that she was slandering my son's name...but she continued for another 15 mniutes at the top of her lungs saying the same things. THEN she went to the new neighbor behind me and told her and her family the same about my son. TONIGHT I found out she went door to door in an 8 townhouse bldg behind mine and told EVERYONE she could the same things about my son. To top it all off one of the parents she talked to is my son's best friend's Dad. He has now forbidden his son to spend the night here at my house anymore or my son be at his house. I am SO angry over this!!! What should I do?? Call and talk to the youth officer who came here in the first place months ago? My son was out front today and the new neighbor saw her son with mine and told her son to "get away from that filthy pig." My son has AHDH and had poor judgement with the underwear issue...this by no means brands him a pervert! And how I feel so bad for my son. What should I do???? Take care.

 

[pixie56]

To continue....EVERY time something happens around here now this woman spreads it around it was my son. The manager's car got paintballed....my son was home! Cars got broken into...the boy was caught! She just has defamed my son's character so much.... My son is not out after dark in the first place. This woman seems to have a vendetta against my son!

 

[pixie56]

One more question...how do I undo the damage this woman has caused my son's reputation????

 

[pixie56]

15 days and not one reply???? Ok! I give up....moving on! Thanks anyways! Take care.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Originally posted by pixie56:
I have a 13 year old son who about 8 months ago, in a moment of impulsiveness, was asked by an older minor (15) to tell an 8 year old he couldn't play baseball unless he got a pair of his sister's underwear if he wanted to play. The 8 year old did just that. His Mom called the police of which nothing came of it. No crime was commited. My son has done absolutely nothing wrong since! Twice she has talked to my son and then said she has audio and/or videotaped the conversation and was going to the police with it. I know this is illegal in MI. Now this woman and I got into an argument a few days ago and she called me a b*tch and I called her one back. That's not the trouble! Then this woman stood outside our townhouse on the side talking LOUDLY to my new neighbor saying my son was a "pervert" "keep your children away from him" "his Mom is the same way", "he is a mental case" "he has the makings of a pedophile", etc. I yelled at her to shut up that she was slandering my son's name...but she continued for another 15 mniutes at the top of her lungs saying the same things. THEN she went to the new neighbor behind me and told her and her family the same about my son. TONIGHT I found out she went door to door in an 8 townhouse bldg behind mine and told EVERYONE she could the same things about my son. To top it all off one of the parents she talked to is my son's best friend's Dad. He has now forbidden his son to spend the night here at my house anymore or my son be at his house. I am SO angry over this!!! What should I do?? Call and talk to the youth officer who came here in the first place months ago? My son was out front today and the new neighbor saw her son with mine and told her son to "get away from that filthy pig." My son has AHDH and had poor judgement with the underwear issue...this by no means brands him a pervert! And how I feel so bad for my son. What should I do???? Take care.

Well, soemtimes things get lost in the large number of posts here. Since the conversation is free there is usually very little reason to get mad!

I would say you might want to file a formal complaint with the police concerning this woman's behavior since it is harassing to you and your son and has gone door to door. You are also afraid of false prosecution. With regard to a defamation claim I'm not sure there is one. It doesn't sound like any false statement was uttered (a requirement for defamation) but more like an intent to cause emotional distress -- which is actionable. If you go to small claims court I don't know whether you'll get anywhere and the only way you likely will is to bring one of the people in the townhouse to testify as to her intentionally harassing behavior you described. I just don't know if it's worth it to go through this trouble and whether the court will care to be involved in small domestic squabbles... although I certainly understand where you are coming from.

Note, you may also want to have the police make a call on her to cease and desist her actions as you are concerned about your son's safety as a result of this woman's crusade.

 

[madmom]

pixie56- I feel your pain. My 10 year boy old has had action brought on him for accusations of sexual harrassment, which involved teasing (pointing and laughing) a girl who was wearing low pants with her underwear sticking out and sitting in the chair in front of him in school. The mother has defamed my child's name to numerous other parents, some of which will no longer allow their children to play with mine. We live in a small town, it doesn't take long for this to get around. Aside from the pain I feel for my child, one other fear is that if this sexual harrassment case was won, it would set a precedent for a child's behavior. Essentially, children would be expected to behave like robots, with no joking around, flirting, or anything of the sort for fear of being sued. I am beside myself with this. I understand that it is wrong to tease in a mean or nasty way, but I don't think the situation constituted being mean or nasty. And to sue a 5th grader for sexual harrassment? Ugh! Have you had any luck with your situation? I am just wondering how far this woman will go to ruin my son's reputation.