Feuding couples lead rise in online slander_美文

Feuding couples lead rise in online slander

Hao eventually ruled on the side of the plaintiff.

"After studying the evidence, it was obvious the ex-wife had indeed damaged the man's reputation, so I asked her to apologize and ordered her to delete what she wrote online," she said, adding that she has handled five or more disputes like this in recent years.

Wang Huina, another judge in the Haidian district court, said she has heard many similar cases, mostly involving young couples.

She cited a case that took place in April, in which a man won a lawsuit against his ex-wife after she posted his personal data online.

Cheng Yi, a judge specializing in civil disputes at the Chaoyang District People's Court in Beijing, said defamation between divorced parties usually occurs with celebrities, such as artists, musicians and entrepreneurs.

However, with the boom in micro blogs, many couples are pouring out their sorrow via the Internet, said Cheng, adding that she has heard 10 or more such cases a year since 2008.

Gu Yue, a senior judge at the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court, said he has heard similar cases, but most did not come to court due to the massive amount of time and money needed to take a matter to trial.

"In our modern society, some young people are self-centered and seldom consider others' feelings, so they divorce on impulse, which is why they still have problems after they finish their relationship," he said. "The Internet, as a kind of tool, also provides them a platform to have arguments."