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At a sentencing hearing in Los Angeles on July 2, 2009, a federal judge overturned the conviction of Lori Drew, 50, for her role in the death of 13-year-old Megan Meier. Meier committed suicide after Drew repeatedly bullied the teenager on MySpace.

Despite Drew's conviction on myriad counts in November 2008, United States District Judge George Wu overruled the jury in the original trial and acquitted Drew of the original charges. The surprising development marks the latest twist in the long-running case, which legal scholars heralded as a landmark test in United States law. Drew's case was the first prosecution over accusations of cyberbullying.

Megan Meier hanged herself at home in October 2006, allegedly after receiving a dozen or more cruel messages, including one stating the world would be better off without her. Salvador Hernandez, assistant agent in charge of the Los Angeles FBI office, called the case heart-rending. "The Internet is a world unto itself. People must know how far they can go before they must stop. They exploited a young girl's weaknesses," Hernandez said. "Whether the defendant could have foreseen the results, she's responsible for her actions."

A federal grand jury indicted Drew on one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to get information used to inflict emotional distress on the girl. Drew denied creating the account or sending messages to Megan. Dean Steward, a lawyer representing Drew in the federal case, characterized the charges at the time as unusual and puzzling. "We thought when prosecutors in St. Louis looked at the case and all the facts, it was clear no criminal acts occurred," Steward said.

Cyberbullying became the central theme of Megan Meier's suicide, spawning cries of outrage from politicians and educators. At least one piece of federal legislation has passed Congress in an effort to curtail cyberbullying and the preying of adults on children. However, the underreported aspect of this story is that clinicians treated Megan for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and depression. Tina Meier claims Drew knew Megan was on medication.

The mainstream media inadequately explained the connection between ADD and depression. Some reporters unearthed the medication angle, but none of the stories described what type of medication. Was Megan taking stimulants for ADD or some other drug to combat depression symptoms? The medication question is an essential element of this case. Two

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