Middle School Lawsuit Over an Ipod

It’s been all over the tech news about a middle school girl who had her ipod stolen while at school. The parents are suing her friend who had borrowed it. The new American way, if anything happens bad, then sue. Don’t you think this is the type of thing that could be worked out between two friends. What do you think? Should it have gone to court? BTW, a top of the line new 4Gig Nano is only $249.

The dispute started with the two Still Middle School friends sharing an iPod – a portable device that plays music – and has resulted in a lawsuit with Stephanie, 14, as the defendant. On June 6, the last day of eighth-grade at Still Middle School, Shannon lent Stephanie her iPod Nano. Shannon’s mother, Melanie McCarthy of Aurora, said her daughter had saved money from Christmas and birthday gifts to purchase the $300 iPod in late May. The day it was stolen was the first time she had brought it to school, McCarthy said.
McCarthy said her daughter left the classroom to use the bathroom and when she returned, the iPod was gone. Stephanie, who had also left the room, told her friend that she had placed the iPod on top of Shannon’s desk. McCarthy named Stephanie in a lawsuit filed in DuPage County on Aug. 4. The suit seeks $350 for the iPod and $125 in court costs. Stephanie’s father, Stephen Eick of Naperville, said his daughter didn’t do anything wrong.

Mike

I am a former design engineer who now pastors Cornerstone Community Church in Galax, Virginia. I'm passionate about following Jesus and I love technology. I've been married to Jennifer for 28 years, and we have three adult children.

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2 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:

    What else do you do when you are a victim and the other party won’t even talk to you. Hang your head and skulk away? Take it out back and use violence? Use one of the greatest options our country has – the judicial system? The lawsuit is for $220.00 for ipod, $50.00 for pink leather case and $50.00 for itunes that she can’t retrieve any more. $135.00 for court costs. Shannon worked for six months to save for this ipod.

  2. Mike says:

    Good points, but the news reports are very different from what you state. I will admit that it’s hard to know the whole story just from the media. News reports stated that the other parents have offered to pay half, and that Shannon’s parents refused to talk to them. My point was that the parents should set the example for the teens in this matter by meeting together and working through this. The lawyer costs alone will be far beyond the cost of a new ipod, so it’s not about the money. It’s about the principle. This is a good opportunity to teach how to resolve conflicts. Also, what about the other students in the class. I’m sure that more than one person knows what happened to the ipod. Unfortunately, teenagers sometimes learn responsibility through tough life lessons. BTW, this is a good lesson for everyone that you should always have your music backed up. Never, ever just keep music on your ipod. Always keep it stored on a computer and backed up on disc.

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