Fakebook: Mom Sues Over Bogus Profile of Son

Complaint claims teens used profile to defame victim

By MATT BARTOSIK

Updated 2:41 PM EDT, Sat, Sep 26, 2009

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Facebook is full of silly games, applications and quizzes. "What color is your aura?" "What's the first letter of your future spouse's name?" "Which 18th century philosopher are you?"

But one Chicago teenager didn't have to take a quiz to find out what kind of jerks his peers are.

Laura Cook and her son are suing four minors who set up a fake Facebook profile of the son and used it to express racist and sexual statements.

According to the 20-page suit, the defendants—identified only by their initials, R.C., A.G., K.Z., and M.S.—created an account on Facebook using the plaintiff's name, photos and real cell phone number.

The fake profile was full of false and defamatory statements, including racist comments about President Obama, vulgar remarks toward female "friends," and notes about engaging in homosexual acts.

The son's fake account collected at least 580 "friends" in four weeks before it was finally removed.

The complaint argues that the damage has already been done though. The plaintiff is involved in athletics on the state, regional, and national level and is concerned that his harmed reputation will affect his future endeavors. In fact, the victim and his siblings claim they have had to change athletic clubs, coaches, and academic advisors.

Cook and her son are suing on allegations of defamation per se, defamation per quod, false light, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and injunctive relief. They are seeking unspecified damages.

We're hoping the judge throws the Facebook at them.

Matt Bartosik, a "between blogs" blogger, is a social-networking butterfly.