By LINDA DEUTSCH AP Special Correspondent © 2008 AP Nick Ut AP This Sept. 4, 2008 file photo shows Lori Drew, a Missouri woman who allegedly perpetrated a MySpace hoax that drove her daughter's 13-year-old classmate to suicide, leaves court in Los...

The case of US v Lori Drew is viewed in legal circles as landmark internet law, but as outlined in government documents with its neighbourhood feuds and a teen's suicide, it reads more like a plotline for a made-for-TV drama.

In fact, as the judge has noted, the case of the 49-year-old Missouri woman accused of taunting a 13-year-old girl on the internet to the point where she committed suicide has already inspired an episode of Law & Order.

US District Judge George Wu said he considered a defence motion to exclude evidence of the suicide from the trial that begins on Tuesday. But he finally decided it would be futile since people being called for jury duty most likely know about it.

Instead, he said he would instruct the jurors that the case is about whether Drew violated the terms of service of the MySpace social networking site, not about whether she caused the suicide of Megan Meier.

Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorisation. Each count carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.

Drew's lawyer, Dean Steward, argued that no matter what the judge tells the jury, once they hear the story, they will not see it as a case about violating rules in cyberspace.

"They will conclude it's about the tragic death of a young girl," he said. "The jury is going to end up thinking that Lori...
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