CA - Nikki Catsouras, death photos leaked

[ttrachel04]

omg, how sad. they definitely deserved to be FIRED, PUNISHED and to pay to family some type of monetary compensation. I know that money can't bring their little girl back, but the defendants need to know what their actions have caused!!!! from reading articles, they sure don't sound remorseful ...

 

[White Rain]

The pics of Nikki MADE ME SICK....but yet I STILL don't know HOW I feel about this subject.
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO torn!

 

[philamena]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/catsouras-family-chp-2003372-lawsuit-dispatchers

Judge dismisses suit over CHP photo leak
Lawyers for Catsouras family of Ladera Ranch, who are tormented by online accident photos of their dead daughter, said they have filed appeal.

That's just wrong on so many levels.

I believe in karma. The cop who leaked the photos will get his comeuppance in due time. I feel certain the judge will get his too for making what imo is a ridiculous decision regarding the Catsouras family.

 

[Paladin]

I guess I'll play devil's advocate here. If they don't like seeing the photos online...maybe they shouldn't surf the Internet? Or if they do, change their email addresses?

It sounds to me like they're Googling their own daughter's name and looking for the pictures. Never have I run across Nikki Catsouras pictures randomly on the internet.

 

[golfmom]

I guess I'll play devil's advocate here. If they don't like seeing the photos online...maybe they shouldn't surf the Internet? Or if they do, change their email addresses?

It sounds to me like they're Googling their own daughter's name and looking for the pictures. Never have I run across Nikki Catsouras pictures randomly on the internet.

Paladin, it wasn't that simple. After the photos got out on the internet, well ... it's heart wrenching what these people had to go through. And it wasn't just on-line. People are so cruel. I don't understand how they don't get that these are real people with real lives.

I hope they win on appeal. The CHP employees had NO business making those photographs public.

 

[angelmom]

I guess I'll play devil's advocate here. If they don't like seeing the photos online...maybe they shouldn't surf the Internet? Or if they do, change their email addresses?

It sounds to me like they're Googling their own daughter's name and looking for the pictures. Never have I run across Nikki Catsouras pictures randomly on the internet.

Did you actually read the whole thread?

The photos were emailed to them in what looked like business related emails.

A slideshow that appeared to be a memorial to Nikki was made. At the end, these photos were the "grand finale."

The photos were printed and slipped inside the locker of Nikki's younger sister at school.

If a man was hunting a woman in this way, we would call it stalking or harrassment. If medical results had gotten out this way, the doctor could be sued. Why is this so difficult to comprehend?

 

[golfmom]

Her father kept receiving text messages and phone calls thanking him for the car keys.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

I feel so bad for her family. Esp. her little sister. I saw the photos and yeah they were grose but Niki isn't my family member so I was like it's a car accident victim I expected the pics to look like that. Obviously if she were my child or my sister I would not want to see that. I have no idea why anyone would want to send those pics to her family. I really don't see what they thought they were going to get out of doing that? Sick...

 

[Paladin]

Did you actually read the whole thread?

The photos were emailed to them in what looked like business related emails.

A slideshow that appeared to be a memorial to Nikki was made. At the end, these photos were the "grand finale."

The photos were printed and slipped inside the locker of Nikki's younger sister at school.

If a man was hunting a woman in this way, we would call it stalking or harrassment. If medical results had gotten out this way, the doctor could be sued. Why is this so difficult to comprehend?

Yes I read the whole thread.

Getting the images off the internet isn't the problem. The person who released the photos isn't the problem. It's that people are assholes, plain and simple.

Time to change your name and move.

I'm not saying I agree with anything I'm saying, but I did proclaim I was going to play devil's advocate for the sake of argument.

 

[golfmom]

Time to change your name and move.

But whatever did the family do wrong that they should change their names and move? They didn't publicly release the photos of their daughter which caused them so much anguish.

 

[angelmom]

I guess I'll play devil's advocate here. If they don't like seeing the photos online...maybe they shouldn't surf the Internet? Or if they do, change their email addresses?

It sounds to me like they're Googling their own daughter's name and looking for the pictures. Never have I run across Nikki Catsouras pictures randomly on the internet.

Yes I read the whole thread.

Getting the images off the internet isn't the problem. The person who released the photos isn't the problem. It's that people are assholes, plain and simple.

Time to change your name and move.

I'm not saying I agree with anything I'm saying, but I did proclaim I was going to play devil's advocate for the sake of argument.

You implied in your first post that they wouldn't have seen these photos if they weren't seeking them out ("googling their daughter's name") which is not true if it is taped to the sister's locker and sent to you disguised as a business email or a memorial to your dead child.

You said that changing email addresses might be in order, which wouldn't have stopped any of those things either.

Why should someone have to move after losing a loved one in an auto accident??? They didn't do anything wrong! Yes, the argument can be made that Nikki did something wrong which contributed to her own death, but Oh MY HELL!!! We frequently argue here about parents who have done much worse and say they shouldn't actually be punished b/c the grief is enough pain. These people actually did NOTHING wrong.

Yes, the other people are the assholes. But how is it legal or moral or fair that a first responder can take photos of a death scene and email them around to his friends. Isn't a logical consequence of this behavior that they will end up on the internet? He didn't have to do it himself, he just had to know that it could happen. And he violated every ounce of dignity he should be offering to Nikki at her death, when he should be caring for her and treating her with respect, by virtually raping her with the camera and spreading it around the world. He is as big an as anyone and started the slide into the gutter.

Can you imagine needing paramedics or firefighters or police and wondering if the crime scene photos are going to be made public? What if you are just having an asthma attack in the middle of the night and someone snaps a lovely shot of you in your undies? Is it okay for them to email it out if you have made an enemy on the force? Maybe you should just get over it and MOVE!!!

Honestly, think about it for a minute and see if that really makes sense.

 

[Paladin]

No, they didn't do anything wrong and don't deserve to be bombarded by the graphic images of their loved one's death, but that wouldn't stop me as a father from protecting my family and consider a name change and a move.

 

[Paladin]

But whatever did the family do wrong that they should change their names and move? They didn't publicly release the photos of their daughter which caused them so much anguish.

They didn't do anything wrong, you're right...they shouldn't HAVE to do anything other that grieve and move on, but since what happened happened...they might want to consider it for their own sanity so the harrassment stops.

 

[lew657]

Yes I do believe the CHP was wrong to release the pics without the family consent but I do know a few EMTs that often have pics laying around of different crash sites and victims.

The people that should be held legally responsible for their actions are the ones harrassing the family with the emails and texts!!!

A positive note about this - I just saw this a few days ago and forced my 20 YO nephew and 2 of his friends to look at the picture. At first they were you typical boys - looking at the gore. But then I got a call from my him this morning - they searched online and exchanged messages with someone who knew Nikki - she is now a realy person to them. A positive did happen from this - he has my car right now and when someone wanted to "see how fast his aunt's car really was" he said no deal.

Maybe nothing would have happened but maybe Nikki's death has saved a few lives!

 

[Ntegrity]

Anyone who would email photos to the parents of a girl mangled in an automobile accident needs to be locked up. What kind of mind would come up with something so evil??

 

[golfmom]

I still think that the employees who sent the emails out, against department policy, should be held liable. But for their actions, none of the rest would have occurred.

 

[Thundar]

This entire story is sad. The employees that leaked the pictures should have been reprimanded immediately. And the punishment made public. That doesn't help this family with people sending them these pictures but it might help in other cases.

I can't imagine dealing with the death of one's child and them receiving these pictures in email, on my phone, and put in a sister's locker. That is just cruel, I don't care how much an individual might dislike the family, be jealous of them or whatever there is no call for that.

 

[Egoslayer]

For those of you that said her family should change their email addresses, they did. However, her dad is a millionaire realtor and has to have his contact information public in order to get clients.

(I am local)

 

[Egoslayer]

Reading some of the sites, they (the kids who "knew" her) said she was mean and flaunted her privilege. She was cruel to the *lower* kids.
How sad that they think this is a way to get "Even" with her.

We had an 18 year old boy die during a drug deal here recently. The whole town turned out for his funeral because he was much loved by everyone. He made a HUGE mistake but he was a great kid who was respected and treated everyone with kindness. She obviously treated a lot of people with disdain. I am not bashing her AT ALL or blaming her for this INSANITY but how you live your life is very important.

And yes, she did steal her fathers car and he did call the police. She was a very lost teenager. *so sad*
Her actions in life resulted in all this drama in her death.

I didn't know her personally but I knew the group she hung out with. Cocaine every weekend (check the toxicology reports) and vodka every day. I don't wish death on anyone but this girl had to be locked up. I am sick of the drug culture that has grown here where I live. She hit another car people, she was endangering so many people. She was not an angel. Her family did not deserve the bad treatment, but they shoud never have gone on a media blitz to make their drug and alcohol abusing daughter look like a sweet angel. It angered alot of people.

The people who leaked the photos also should have lost their jobs.

 

[lizzybeth]

Egoslayer, have things gotten any better for this family (as far as the harrassment)?