In 2013, Ronnie McNutt committed suicide, and in the video livestreaming his death. He made a confession that Facebook had been responsible for him being lonely and suicidal.
Ronnie McNutt committed suicide by burning himself to death in a backyard fire on Facebook Live. A friend of him filed a lawsuit against Facebook. Arguing that the company should have done more to prevent his death.
The Suicide Video
The Ronnie McNutt suicide video is a tragic and disturbing video that surfaced on Facebook in 2016. The video shows McNutt shooting himself in the head with a shotgun, and his death was live-streamed on Facebook.
Now, McNutt’s family is suing Facebook over the video. Claiming that the social media giant did not do enough to prevent the suicide from being streamed on its platform. They allege that Facebook knew or should have known that the video was being filmed and streamed. and failed to take action to stop it.
This is a tragic case, and our thoughts go out to the family of Ronnie McNutt. It’s important to remember that if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, there is help available. Please reach out for help if you need it.
Facebook’s Statement on the Suit
We are deeply saddened by the death of Ronnie McNutt. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.
We understand that some people are upset by the fact that Ronnie’s suicide was broadcast on Facebook Live. Want to reiterate that we do not allow graphic content on our platform. Work hard to keep our community safe.
We removed the video as soon as we were made aware of it and are currently working with law enforcement on their investigation.
Facebook is being sued over a video of Ronnie McNutt’s suicide that was posted on the site. The family of McNutt is alleging that Facebook did not do enough to remove the video and that their inaction led to further emotional distress.
In a statement, Facebook said: “Our hearts go out to the family of Ronnie McNutt. We understand how devastating it can be when someone you love dies by suicide. We removed the video from Facebook as soon as we were made aware of it and are deeply saddened by Mr. McNutt’s death.”
What is a “Reasonable Man”?
The legal term “reasonable man” is often used in tort law to determine whether a person can be held liable for another person’s injuries. The reasonable man standard tries to set an objective standard by which to judge whether a person’s actions were negligent Hence This can be a difficult concept, because it requires looking at the actions of the person being sued, and not the person who was injured.
In the case of Facebook, the question is whether the company can be held liable for the suicide of Ronnie McNutt. The lawsuit alleges that Facebook was aware of the video of McNutt’s suicide, but did not remove it until after his family had complained. The family contends that Facebook knew or should have known that the video was graphic and disturbing, and that it would cause them emotional distress.
The reasonable man standard will likely be applied to this case, to determine whether Facebook knew or should have known that the video would cause distress to McNutt’s family. If it is determined that a reasonable man in Facebook’s position would have known about the video and its potential to cause emotional distress, then the company could be held liable for damages.
Conclusion
The parents of Ronnie McNutt, who committed suicide in September 2020, have sued Facebook over the graphic video of his death that was widely shared on the platform. McNutt’s mother, Deborah Watts, said in the lawsuit that she had to “relive the nightmare” of her son’s death every time she saw the video. The suit seeks unspecified damages and asks for FB to create a better system for handling user-generated content.
The death of Ronnie McNutt was a tragedy, and one that could have been prevented Also If Facebook had acted more responsibly. While it’s understandable that the company would want to avoid being sued. Their actions (or lack thereof) in this case were inexcusable Hence we can only hope that this lawsuit will set a precedent. Make Facebook more accountable for the content that is posted on their site.
