Laura Cook is a Chicago, Illinois woman who has filed a lawsuit against the popular internet social networking site Facebook over a fake profile that was created about her son. It seems that four other teens created this fake profile and she claims it has caused her son and her family distress.

The mother is fighting back against the four teens that she says created this profile that included pictures of her son and included ‘defamatory statements’, sexual and racist information alleged to have been written by her son. The fake Facebook profile included her son’s cell phone number, racist comments about Barack Obama, sexual comments about girls he knows and indications that he is a homosexual. She described the content as ‘disturbing and vulgar’.

In the four weeks that the profile was up the perpetrators had befriended at least 580 people. Once someone is a ‘friend’ on Facebook, they are able to view the content of someone’s profile. She claims that the profile was established with malicious intent and that it was created to ‘discredit, disparage and damage’ her son’s reputation.

In the lawsuit, Cook claims that her son is fearful that his reputation has been tarnished due to this Facebook profile. He is an athlete and since this profile has been made has had to change teams, coaches and even his academic advisers. The defendants apparently have been on his teams and he no longer wants to travel to to athletic events with them.

The defendants face five-counts in the lawsuit. They include, ‘defamation per se, defamation per quod, false light, intentional infliction of emotional distress and injunctive relief’. Ms. Cook is seeking restitution in damages plus legal expenses.