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Charges stand in Web harassment case

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Lawyers in the case of a Missouri woman who allegedly engaged in online bullying that caused a teenager's suicide were told Thursday to prepare for trial.

U.S. District Judge George Wu, sitting in Los Angeles, did not rule on a defense motion to dismiss the charges against Lori Drew, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Wu said he may not decide on dismissal until Nov. 18, when her trial is scheduled to begin.

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Drew, of Dardenne Prairie, Mo., was charged with conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers illegally after state prosecutors said they could not charge her. She allegedly set up a a MySpace account and used it, claiming to be a teenage boy, to form an online friendship with Megan Meier, 13, a former friend of her daughter.

Meier took her own life after the "boy" turned against her, sending her a message that said the world "would be a better place without you."

Drew's lawyers argue that, at worst, she violated MySpace terms of service and that does not constitute a federal crime.

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