MySpace Case: Judge Says ‘Friend Request’ Can Violate Protective Order

Sending a MySpace "friend request" to a person who holds a protective order against you requiring no contact is a violation of the order.

Hence, a municipal judge in Staten Island, N.Y., has declined to dismiss a criminal contempt case against a 16-year-old. She allegedly made the Internet communication, in violation of a protective order requiring no-contact with a woman the teen's father had formerly dated and the woman's two daughters, reports the Staten Island Advance.

Direct contact is not required to violate a protective order, Stapleton Criminal Court Judge Matthew Sciarrino explains in a four-page written opinion. So, sending an online friend request "is no different than if the defendant arranged for any agent to make known to a claimant, 'Your former friend wants to communicate with you. Are you interested?' " he reasons.