Ashley Judd Is Pressing Charges Over Hateful Tweets That Included Threats
Ashley Judd has threatened to press charges against those who abused her online through hateful tweets. People Magazine reported that the 46-year-old actress is promising to fight back legally. She appeared on NBC’s Today show on Monday, and she explained the whole story. She related that she tweeted during Kentucky’s Southeastern Conference championship game on Sunday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Even though the Wildcats won 78-63, the actress tweeted from the basketball game that she thought Arkansas was playing dirty. Then she started to experience what she calls “gender violence.” She said she began to receive lots of tweets in response to her initial tweet. Many of the tweets she received were vulgar and explicit. She was called names and described in hateful and hurtful ways.
The Hollywood Reporter said Judd was even threatened with rape and sodomy. However, she did admit that she could have phrased what she said a little differently instead of blatantly saying Arkansas was playing dirty. Even so, she doesn’t believe she should have been attacked with threatening tweets. She doesn’t believe what she tweeted warranted the tweets she received in return. Her initial tweet has been deleted.
The Los Angeles Times reminded people that Judd is a die-hard Kentucky fan and a diligent supporter of the University of Kentucky, her alma mater. During the game, she sent out a tweet criticizing the Razorbacks’ style of play. When she received hateful tweets, she spoke out immediately against the harsh things people were saying about her and the threats made toward her.
“I’m pressing charges.”
Even though Judd is spending a lot of time filling out papers and fighting back, it is unlikely that offenders will be prosecuted, but what she wants to do is to send a message that this type of behavior is not acceptable. Twitter did respond in a statement to NBC News. The popular online social networking service indicated that the company is trying to do something about cyberbullying. Twitter said it receives and reviews five times as many reports from users now than they did in the past. In fact, Twitter has tripled its support team to handle the abuse reports that continue to be submitted.
Do you think Judd will go through with her treat to take legal action against the people who hide behind their tweets? Do you think legal action will help cut down on cyberbullying? What would you do if you were cyberbullied?
[Photo via Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
