MONTREAL, April 7 (UPI) -- An appellate court says a Canadian father was wrong to ground his 12-year-old daughter for disobeying his order that she stay off the Internet.

An attorney for the Gatineau man says they may appeal Monday's Quebec Superior Court ruling affirming a lower court's decision in favor of the girl to Canada's Supreme Court, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.


Kim Beaudoin, the father's lawyer, told the CBC his client was "flabbergasted" by the latest setback.

"Either way, he doesn't have authority over this child anymore," Beaudoin said. "She sued him because she doesn't respect his rules. It's very hard to raise a child who is the boss."

The father grounded his daughter last year after finding her visiting Web sites he had blocked. He alleged his daughter was posting "inappropriate pictures" of herself online, the CBC reported.

Grounding her meant she couldn't attend her Grade 6 graduation trip to Quebec City, for which her mother had already granted permission. The couple are divorced and the father had custody at the time.

The punishment prompted the girl to seek the legal remedy. The lower court ruled in her favor. She made the class trip and now lives with her mother.

"Going to court was a last resort," said Lucie Fortin, a legal aid attorney who represented the girl. "The trip was very important to her."