I think this is ridiculous. Even outrageous - though that starts to sound like Jackie Child on Seinfeld.
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Top Stories - AP
Court: Mom's Eavesdropping Violated Law

SEATTLE - Striking a blow for rebellious teenagers, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday that state law prohibits parents from eavesdropping on a child's phone conversations.

The case reached the high court because of a purse-snatching. A 17-year-old boy was convicted of the robbery, in part on testimony from his girlfriend's mother, who overhead him discussing the crime on the phone with her daughter.

The daughter had taken a cordless phone into her bedroom and closed the door. In another room, her mother pressed the speakerphone button on an extension, listened in and took notes.

The court ruled that the daughter and her boyfriend had a reasonable expectation of privacy on the phone. Washington state law prohibits intercepting or recording conversations without the consent of all participants.

"The Washington privacy statute puts a high value on the privacy of communications," Justice Tom Chambers wrote in the unanimous opinion.

The boyfriend will get a new trial.

http://tinyurl.com/6prxk

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Bold is my doing. Bizarreness.

How old was the daughter?

By the way, how is that decision "striking a blow" to rebellious teenagers?

Good question. When I read that I misread it as the daughter being 17, but I see now that they don't say the daughter's age. Still though, to my mind it's the mother's house (presumably, or at least her spouse's), and she can listen in on whatever she wants. Not that parents should do that, but I can see that for a parent who is worried about their kid being mixed up with someone bad, it might be something to do in an extreme situation.

On the face of it, without knowing more, it looks to me like the mother was fairly heroic in listening in and taking notes in this instance.

I agree.

Even if we suppose that there is an expectation of privacy when you're using someone else's phone, this is still an age issue. If the daughter is under 18, the parents are responsible for her, and it is their right to try and prevent her from talking to would be robbers.

Screw that! Whether wrong or not, there is clear evidence that he stole the purse. So what .. he geta a new trial cause another crime was commited in finding out he stole a purse?? I hate law.