Subject: *PING* Canadians - WTF?
Author: Ed StasiakDate: 18 Jun
Sydney Morning Herald
June 19, 2008
http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/court-overturns-fathers-grounding-of-12yearold/2008/06/19/1213770765707.html
Court overturns father's grounding of 12-year-old
A Canadian court has lifted a 12-year-old girl's grounding,
overturning her father's punishment for disobeying his orders
to stay off the internet, his lawyer said.
The girl had taken her father to Quebec Superior Court after
he refused to allow her to go on a school trip for chatting on
websites he tried to block, and then posting "inappropriate"
pictures of herself online using a friend's computer.
The father's lawyer Kim Beaudoin said the disciplinary
measures were for the girl's "own protection" and is
appealing the ruling.
"She's a child," Beaudoin said.
"At her age, children test their limits and it's up to their
parents to set boundaries.
"I started an appeal of the decision today to reestablish
parental authority, and to ensure that this case doesn't set
a precedent," she said. Otherwise, said Beaudoin, "parents
are going to be walking on egg shells from now on".
"I think most children respect their parents and would never
go so far as to take them to court, but it's clear that some
would and we have to ask ourselves how far this will go."
According to court documents, the girl's internet transgression
was just the latest in a string of broken house rules. Even so,
Justice Suzanne Tessier found her punishment too severe.
Beaudoin noted the girl used a court-appointed lawyer in her
parents' 10-year custody dispute to launch her landmark case
against her dad.
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