LIOR NAGOLA

On October 4th, 2018, at around 9 am, I received a text message from Monika, the girl who Lior Nagola had previously tried to extort money from, and brought close to a mental breakdown. It was a photograph of a complaint that Lior Nagola filed in Small Claims Court of NYC that named Monika as a defendant.

For those not familiar with Small Claims Court, this means that Lior Nagola sued Monika for $4500 in damages, and falsely accused her of cyber-bullying him. This lawsuit was preceded by a number of creepy NO CALLER ID phone calls and threatening text messages that Lior sent her in mid-September in an attempt to intimidate her into silence. Imagine being the victim of attempted extortion and threats, pushed to the brink of a mental breakdown, and months later receiving creepy phone calls and text messages, and being threatened and then sued by your own abuser for speaking up about your story. This is scandalous, but sadly it’s a common strategy abusive individuals such as Lior Nagola, use to keep their victims from going public with their stories. Abusive individuals like Lior Nagola will take advantage of the system to harass their victims and coerce them into silence, but we aren’t afraid of telling our story and documenting his abuse.

The topic of Sexual assault has been prominent in the news cycle lately, thanks largely to the Kavanaugh-Ford hearing and the resurgence of the #meToo movement. During the Kavanaugh-Ford hearing, calls to sexual assault hotline spiked by a whopping 201 percent.

“The focus of the news cycle on sexual assault has been really challenging and, for many individuals, triggering,” said a spokeswoman for a sexual violence prevention group.“

“I think many people woke up to the reinforcement of what has always been their intuition: That you won’t be believed, you will be mocked, and that your own personal health is better preserved by keeping it to yourself,” said Franke, who is the director of the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna914811

First panel and rough doodles for the next ghostbully comic! This bully sure poops a lot! 💩👻. The story and artwork is Inspired by the real life bullying activities of Lior Nagola.

Artwork: Francesco Giroldini

This article from the ACLU offers great advice for victims of abuse who decide to speak out and tell their stories. Here are some of their tips. For the full article please scroll to the bottom of the post.

“Many lawyers say they’ve seen a spike in defamation lawsuits in recent years. And in the past two months, I have received more than a half-dozen calls from women who were threatened for telling their stories.”

”These threats are real, and are designed to force the victims back into silence. But there are many ways to minimize or limit these legal risks.”

”First, and foremost, if you’re telling the truth, you shouldn’t be sued for defamation. Truth is an absolute protection for American libel defendants since the historic Zenger case in 1735.”

”Depending on your state, victims who speak out against sexual harassment may have the benefits of a strong law deterring abusive, retaliatory lawsuits, which are often called SLAPPs (“strategic lawsuits against public participation”). These lawsuits are used to silence and intimidate critics by burdening them with the cost of legal defense. Anti-SLAPP laws allow someone being sued for defamation to move to strike the case because it involves speech on a matter of public concern. They also require plaintiffs to present evidence that they would prevail in a lawsuit. This can offer protections for #MeToo victims, including dismissals of cases early in the proceedings and the awarding attorneys’ fees for meritless cases.”

https://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/worried-about-getting-sued-reporting-sexual-abuse-here-are-some-tips

Here’s a teaser for the next Ghost Bully comic that teaches victims of bullying on how to effectively respond to bullies.

Artwork: Francesco Giroldini