JUDGE RULES ON E-MAIL PRIVACY CASE
TULSA, OKLA -- The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled on a case that
many legal experts believe clearly delineates the e-mail privacy
rights of computer users in the workplace. Judge Stan Musing declared
that employees have a right to expect that their employers will
refrain from monitoring e-mail messages transmitted on company
systems. The case went to court after programmer Augustus Lindsey's
supervisor monitored his e-mail and intercepted a message from
Lindsey to a colleague. The message read: "That little sex kitten has
been driving me wild. She's moaning and begging for it every minute.
Last night I was afraid someone would hear, and we'd be thrown out of
the building. But don't worry -- all is arranged. Wednesday she gets
the knife". Lindsey's supervisor alerted authorities, suspecting that
a crime was in the making. Lindsey was arrested on the spot and spent
an uncomfortable night discussing the situation with the police.
However, he was released in the morning, just in time to get his
female cat to the vet for spaying. Lindsey sued his boss for invasion
of privacy and sought punitive damages as well.