A New York judge has ruled that tagging someone in a Facebook post—and the subsequent notification that it generates— is enough to constitute a violation of a restraining order.


The New York Law Journal describes a case in which Maria Gonzalez was not allowed to contact her sister-in-law Maribel Calderon under a protection order. That didn’t stop Gonzalez taking to Facebook to tag Calderon in a post which called her “stupid,” adding that “you and your family are sad...You guys have to come stronger than that!! I’m way over you guys but I guess not in ya agenda.”

Acting Westchester County Supreme Court Justice Susan Capeci ruled that the notification generated by Facebook as a result of the tag represented an infringement of the protection order, which has seen Gonzalez charged with second-degree criminal contempt. That could lead to as much as a year in jail.


[New York Law Journal via CNET]

Image by dolphfyn / Shutterstock.com