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| ==Leakage of photographs to the Internet== | ==Leakage of photographs to the Internet== | ||
| According to Newsweek, |
According to ''Newsweek'', Catsouras' "accident was so gruesome the coroner wouldn't allow her parents to identify their daughter's body."<ref name= "newsweek">Jessica Bennett, "A Tragedy That Won’t Fade Away," ''NEWSWEEK,'' print issue of May 4, 2009 (accessed April 26, 2009)</ref> However, photographs of the scene of Catsouras' death were taken by ] officers as part of standard fatal vehicle accident procedures. These photos were then forwarded to others within the Department, and then spread across the internet. | ||
| Two CHP PSDSIs (Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor I), Aaron Reich and Thomas O'Donnell, admitted to releasing the photos in violation of CHP policy. PSDSI O'Donnell later stated in interviews that he only sent the photos to his own e-mail account for viewing at a later time, while PSDSI Reich stated that he had forwarded the pictures to four other people.<ref name=beautiful> ].</ref> Catsouras' parents soon discovered the photographs online which had gained much attention, including in the form of a fake ] tribute website which actually contained links to the photographs.<ref name=beautiful/> ] also anonymously e-mailed copies of the photos to the family with misleading subject headers, in one case captioning the photo sent to the father with the words "Woohoo Daddy! Hey daddy, I'm still alive."<ref name= "newsweek" /> This led to the Catsouras family withdrawing from Internet use and even ] Nikki's younger sister due to the possibility that she might have been taunted with the photographs.<ref name=beautiful/> | Two CHP PSDSIs (Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor I), Aaron Reich and Thomas O'Donnell, admitted to releasing the photos in violation of CHP policy. PSDSI O'Donnell later stated in interviews that he only sent the photos to his own e-mail account for viewing at a later time, while PSDSI Reich stated that he had forwarded the pictures to four other people.<ref name=beautiful> ].</ref> Catsouras' parents soon discovered the photographs online which had gained much attention, including in the form of a fake ] tribute website which actually contained links to the photographs.<ref name=beautiful/> ] also anonymously e-mailed copies of the photos to the family with misleading subject headers, in one case captioning the photo sent to the father with the words "Woohoo Daddy! Hey daddy, I'm still alive."<ref name= "newsweek" /> This led to the Catsouras family withdrawing from Internet use and even ] Nikki's younger sister due to the possibility that she might have been taunted with the photographs.<ref name=beautiful/> | ||
Revision as of 19:53, 26 April 2009
Nicole "Nikki" Catsouras (March 4, 1988 - October 31, 2006) was an American woman who died at the age of 18 as a result of a car crash after losing control of her father's Porsche Carrera at high speed and colliding with a toll booth in Orange County, California. The death was notable for a controversy surrounding the leakage of photographs of Catsouras' badly damaged body on to the Internet, which caused her family to take legal action due to distress about the incident.
Leakage of photographs to the Internet
According to Newsweek, Catsouras' "accident was so gruesome the coroner wouldn't allow her parents to identify their daughter's body." However, photographs of the scene of Catsouras' death were taken by California Highway Patrol officers as part of standard fatal vehicle accident procedures. These photos were then forwarded to others within the Department, and then spread across the internet.
Two CHP PSDSIs (Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor I), Aaron Reich and Thomas O'Donnell, admitted to releasing the photos in violation of CHP policy. PSDSI O'Donnell later stated in interviews that he only sent the photos to his own e-mail account for viewing at a later time, while PSDSI Reich stated that he had forwarded the pictures to four other people. Catsouras' parents soon discovered the photographs online which had gained much attention, including in the form of a fake MySpace tribute website which actually contained links to the photographs. Griefers also anonymously e-mailed copies of the photos to the family with misleading subject headers, in one case captioning the photo sent to the father with the words "Woohoo Daddy! Hey daddy, I'm still alive." This led to the Catsouras family withdrawing from Internet use and even homeschooling Nikki's younger sister due to the possibility that she might have been taunted with the photographs.
Legal action
A judge in California ruled that it would be appropriate to go ahead with the family's legal case against the California Highway Patrol for leaking the photographs. The family hired ReputationDefender to handle the legal case. This led to the California Highway Patrol issuing a formal apology and took action to prevent a similar occurrence in the future, after discovering that departmental policy had been violated by the two officers who were held responsible for the leakage of the photographs. O'Donnell was suspended for 25 days without pay, and Reich quit soon after, "for unrelated reasons," according to his lawyer.
As of March 21, 2008, the final ruling in the legal case was issued. Judge Steven L. Perk dismissed the case against the Department of the California Highway Patrol after both Reich and O'Donnell were removed as defendants. Judge Perk stated that the two were not under any responsibility for protecting the privacy of the Catsouras family, effectively ending the basis for the case. The family's legal team is appealing.
References
- Obituary. Orange County Register.
- ^ Jessica Bennett, "A Tragedy That Won’t Fade Away," NEWSWEEK, print issue of May 4, 2009 Web version (accessed April 26, 2009)
- ^ A Family's Nightmare: Accident Photos of Their Beautiful Daughter Released. ABC News.
- "Judge dismisses suit over CHP photo leak". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
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