Making Sense of Manti and the Catfish

From Washington Post

Te’o tries to move on with interview, but more questions may be asked of the Notre Dame star

Bennett Kelly, founder of the Internet Law Center in Santa Monica, Calif., said a criminal case of fraud against the perpetrators probably wouldn’t work because it appears they took nothing of value (money or other items) from Te’o. The player said at one point the fake girlfriend asked for his checking account number but he declined.

A civil suit would be difficult as well, Kelley said.

“[In terms of claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress] it’s not as easy as it’s often portrayed,” Kelley said. “The context has to be outrageous. There usually has to be some kind of physical manifestation. It can’t just be that it was a bummer.”

The New Age of Deception                          

 The event has occurred just as a market for “fake” girlfriends has emerged, showing how prescient the iconic New Yorker cartoon really was.