Georgia Freshman Sues Starr’s Mill High School in a $2 Million Lawsuit over Facebook Bikini Photo (VIDEO)
ByChelsea Chaney, a former Starr's Mill High School student has filed a $2 million lawsuit against the institution, alleging that the director of technology used one of her photos from Facebook as a part of his presentation during a district-wide seminar that focused on the long-term dangers of social media.
The picture in question shows Chaney clad in a two-piece bikini and standing next to a cardboard cut-out poster of rapper Snoop Dogg. The caption of the photo during the seminar read, 'Once it's there, it's there to stay.'
Chaney, who is now a freshman at the University of Georgia, said the photo was taken on a family vacation when she was 17 years old. She claimed that she posted the photo on her Facebook page, believing that the photo was only available to friends, as well as friends of friends.
The seminar for high school students and parents was conducted when Chaney was a student at the school and still a minor
"I was embarrassed. I was horrified," Chaney said. "It never crossed my mind that it would ever - that this would ever happen to me."
In their defence, the school officials said that they were only attempting to warn students about posting anything on Facebook, which they might regret later. Apparently, the school failed to obtain permission from either Chaney or her parents to use the photo. The school administrator apologized in writing, clarifying that the image was randomly selected. Chaney did not accept the apology as she was not convinced of the reason.
"I just don't think it was random. It wasn't my main picture. You had to go looking through it. I just don't want this to happen to another student," Chaney said.
Pete Wellborn, an attorney representing Chaney and her family said that the school district violated federal law, state law and Chaney's constitutional rights.
"Their idea that putting something on Facebook gives them a license to steal it and carte blanche to do with it what they did is wrong ethically, it's wrong morally and it's absolutely wrong legally," Wellborn said.