Boy Accuses Mom Of Facebook Slander

A 16-year-old Arkansas boy is suing his mother, accusing her of slandering him on his Facebook page.

Denise New of Arkadelphia is charged with harassment and her son - whose name has not been released - is asking that his mother be prohibited from contacting him.

Authorities say the boy lives with his grandmother, who has custodial rights.

Denise New says she believes she has the legal right to monitor her son's activities online and that plans to fight the charges. Prosecutor Todd Turner declined to comment, citing the boy's age.

Denise New told KATV that she was trying to monitor her son's online posts.

"You're within your legal rights to monitor your child and to have a conversation with your child on Facebook whether it's his account, or your account or whoever's account. It's crazy to me that we're even having this interview," she told an interviewer from the television station.

According to her son's complaint, New allegedly hacked his account and changed his password. She also allegedly slandered his personal life.

"I read things on his Facebook about how he had gone to Hot Springs one night and was driving 95 m.p.h. home because he was upset with a girl and it was his friend that called me and told me about all this that prompted me to even actually start really going through his Facebook to see what was going on," she said. New added that she intends to pursue her defense until winning a verdict.

"Oh yeah, I'm going to fight it," she told the station. "If I have to go even higher up, I'm going to. I'm not gonna let this rest. I think this could be a precedent-setting moment for parents."