this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2025
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I'm putting this under a NSFW, as it may be triggering for some of us. Concerns a situation that I've become aware of at work. I'm not sure I have all the details either. But there's a moral dilemma here that I would welcome some feedback on.
messy divorce case
A really messy divorce case. Husband accused by wife of child abuse, which he denies. Kids (2 aged 6 & 9) have been examined by psychs and doctors and don't show signs of abuse. Barring a claim by the elder child that Dad won't let him have more than one fizzy drink per day. Both kids are scared shitless of their mum, who is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who refuses to take medication. When in her custody, kids have twice taken themselves down to the Salvos begging for shelter overnight. Kids now in husband's custody exclusively, and doing well in school.Wife has sprayed accusations of child abuse across several forms of social media targeting : 1) husband, 2) her dentist, 3) kids' doctor, 4) her doctor, 5) two teachers at the kids' school, 6) four of her neighbours. All 'targets' have been investigated by the police specialist unit, and all except one have been cleared of any such crimes.
However, the dentist, doctors, and the teachers have all been sacked from their place of employment, and the dentist's wife has been forcefully requested to resign from her tennis club and other social groups. And none were re-instated when the accusations turned out not to have any evidence supporting them.
One neighbour is still under investigation, but the others have been cleared. I don't know if there's been any further effects on them.
Given that several of the accused persons have suffered very real financial and social harm from accusations that may never be truly forgotten so long as the web exists. And they will be under suspicion for the rest of their lives and probably their families as well. Even though they've been cleared of wrongdoing.
Question for the DT hive mind : should the wife (who is clearly a very damaged person) be sued for libel/damages for her accusations? Has she committed a crime here? Should she get some sort of penalty for making false accusations? Or should she get off scot free because she's mentally ill and presumably not in full control of her actions?
Yes I've muddied up some of the details for privacy reasons, but the basic dynamics are as accurate as I can make them.
Yes!
Thats for a court to decide
In my opinion ABSOLUTELY! you can run about destroying peoples lives and get away with it. Illness or not.
Fuck no! I'm deeply sorry for her troubles, but those people shouldn't suffer due to false accusations. its not about her suffering, its about the victims being about to point to a court verdict and say "I am not, nor was I EVER a child abuser".
Fucking aye!!!
Agreed π―
Absolutely this. While that illness can be difficult to manage and I have sympathy for her, the accusations would be life-changing and devastating for the people wrongfully accused
And while she may not be responsible for the disease, she is responsible for the impact it has on others. I cannot imagine the impact the accusations had on those individuals, and although there may not be a financial benefit I think I would want to push through to clear my name.
Seconded