Trolling is an unfortunate reality of the internet, simply because it is easy to say hurtful things while hiding behind a pseudonym, and also the fact that you don’t actually have to say those things to that person’s face. However it seems that at least as far the Moreno family is concerned, they have gotten justice in the form of a $1.4 million civil judgement.The story is this: William Moreno, the son in the family, was part of an internet forum, the Fairfax Underground, about 6 years ago. Moreno is said to suffer from a mild form of autism and also major depression, and the forum provided a social outlet for him. However his postings have been considered somewhat controversial, which irked some of the other forum goers, one of them being Michael Josef Basl who was named in the lawsuit.
Moreno alleges that Basl was behind a break-in in their home which flooded the basement, and also accusations of child molestation which came up when Moreno’s mother, Sharon Moreno, was undergoing security clearance as an intelligence contractor. He was also accused of swatting the Morenos by posting a message on the forums under Moreno’s name that read, “I JUST SHOT MY PARENTS NOW I WILL KILL MY SISTER.”
It got so bad to the point where Moreno claimed he tried to kill himself by slitting his own wrists. Basl has pretty much denied all of the allegations against him, and has since stated that he will be asking a judge to set aside the verdict. The Moreno family doesn’t believe that they will be able to collect all of the $1.4 million, but they hope that the verdict is enough to discourage other internet trolls from similar behavior.
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