So, I’ve been wondering… if someone outside the US commits suicide and blames a US citizen for it, is that citizen criminally liable? Like, what if they just ignored messages and didn’t actually say anything harmful? No written evidence or anything like that. Anyone know how this works?
From what I know, ignoring messages usually wouldn’t make you liable. The law generally needs proof of intentional harm, like directly encouraging someone to do it.
Cass said:
From what I know, ignoring messages usually wouldn’t make you liable. The law generally needs proof of intentional harm, like directly encouraging someone to do it.
Yeah, that’s right. There has to be more direct causation. Just ignoring messages doesn’t count as criminal behavior.
Cass said:
From what I know, ignoring messages usually wouldn’t make you liable. The law generally needs proof of intentional harm, like directly encouraging someone to do it.
What’s ‘direct causation’? Sounds kinda technical lol.
@Remy
It just means that the person’s actions had to directly cause the harm. Like telling someone to hurt themselves, which obviously didn’t happen here.
I think it might also depend on the laws of the country where the suicide happened. They might view it differently.
Ellis said:
I think it might also depend on the laws of the country where the suicide happened. They might view it differently.
Yeah, I read that too. Different countries have weird laws sometimes. Could get complicated if they try to press charges.
Ellis said:
I think it might also depend on the laws of the country where the suicide happened. They might view it differently.
But can they even do that if the person lives in the US? Sounds like a huge legal mess.
@Ori
Right? They’d have to deal with jurisdiction stuff. Pretty sure the US wouldn’t just hand someone over for that.
Tbh, even if criminal charges are unlikely, there might still be civil stuff to deal with. Like, people trying to sue for emotional damage or something.
Darby said:
Tbh, even if criminal charges are unlikely, there might still be civil stuff to deal with. Like, people trying to sue for emotional damage or something.
Oh wow, didn’t even think of that. Civil cases can be messy even if no one’s criminally liable.
Honestly, it just sounds like a really sad situation all around. Even if no laws were broken, that person might still feel guilty. Hope they’re getting support.
Can’t imagine how tough that would be. It’s crazy how stuff like this can turn into a legal nightmare.