LeAnn Rimes blames cyber bullies for problems, files suit for invasion of privacy

Okay, so before I start this post I have to get this off my chest...I call bullshit on this whole story. 

Whew. I feel better. 

The whole LeAnn Rimes went to a treatment facility for stress and anxiety story announced today just got even weirder, but maybe a bit more clear.

This is going to be long. Sorry. 

Back on August 20th, I brought you this story of how I had gotten some audio from a reader of LeAnn and a Twitter foe arguing over Brandi Glanville and some other crap. I had said it then and I say it still, it was the oddest piece of email I had ever gotten about LeAnn Rimes. I just thought the whole audio was immature and silly and kind of tame by argument standards and I admit that I found it entertaining to listen to just because it was so off the wall and bizarre. 

The audio has since been removed from YouTube, but I listened to both videos (they were YouTube videos but it was purely audio, no actual video) and didn't hear anything that painted LeAnn in a bad light other than she was on the phone arguing with a random person she only knew from Twitter, that definitely seemed strange to me but whatever. The entire audio was LeAnn and the girl she was talking to on the phone trying and failing miserably to talk over each other. LeAnn said something about Brandi but it wasn't out of line and I don't think LeAnn sounded crazy in the least, just frustrated, as did the girl she was arguing with. It was all really just stupid but didn't seem criminal to me. 

Then on Tuesday I had a story about LeAnn passing on the Twitter info and the audio to her attorney. I said at the time that I smelled a lawsuit coming. Turns out my nose works better than I thought because as of today, as reported by TMZ, LeAnn has filed a lawsuit against the two women who were responsible for secretly recording the conversation and then passing it onto the media.

From TMZ:

LeAnn Rimes just filed a lawsuit against two women she claims illegally taped a conversation with her and then spread it across the Internet.

TMZ has obtained a copy of the suit ... filed in L.A. County Superior Court.  Rimes alleges Kimberly Smiley and Lexi Smiley are supporters of Brandi Glanville -- Eddie Cibrian's ex -- and engaged in a campaign to trash her when she hooked up the with Eddie.

This Spring, LeAnn claims she called Kimberly in an attempt to stop the negative Internet activity.  During the conversation, LeAnn says she attempted to be kind and said she wanted peace.

LeAnn alleges Kimberly and Lexi illegally and secretly recorded the conversation and then released out-of-context excerpts, painting her in a "false and negative light."  They also allegedly made statements that LeAnn was "crazy and delusional.

LeAnn is suing for invasion of privacy.  

Rimes' lawyer, Larry Stein, tells TMZ LeAnn will also go to police in an effort to get the people responsible for the recording prosecuted.

As we previously reported, Rimes is currently in a treatment facility for stress management.

Here's my problem with all of this. Get off of friggin' Twitter! LeAnn Rimes is 30 years old for criminy sakes, step away from the Tweet button if you're being cyber bullied. It's okay, sometimes walking away is the best course of action. If you can't handle the heat and if people are being so mean that it's making you have anxiety and stress enough to need a 30-day inpatient treatment program, then take a break from the source. Step away from the iPhone, computer, or whatever your favorite means of Twitter delivery and be free of the problem. Re-assess how important that constant contact with your fans is, how important posting your latest bikini picture is or that cute picture of you and your husband and your on-the-surface perfect life and maybe just stop, even if for only a little while.

Do I think the girls who have allegedly been harassing LeAnn are okay for what they've been doing? No, not at all, but sometimes it's better and easier to change yourself than expecting a world full of assholes to change because when you're a celebrity or in the public eye, those assholes will always be a fixture. The anonymity of the internet is a breeding ground for people like that. Sad but true.  

The bullshit I'm calling on this story is the lawsuit being filed the same day LeAnn headed to a treatment facility. It makes it all seem like a serious media play, a heaping pile of poor me, see how mean they all are to me? I have to have treatment because of a bunch of mean girls. Suing for invasion of privacy? Sounds more like suing for embarrassing her. There was no invasion of privacy, it was an argument with a fellow Twit that was caught on tape, plain and simple. To me it wouldn't be any different than if LeAnn got into a fight with someone out in public that someone passing by just happened to catch on video and then made available to the media. 

I don't fault LeAnn at all for going to treatment if that's what she in fact needed. Mental problems are a bitch and should never, ever be ignored because they have a way of festering only to become worse, but a lawsuit the same day you've decided to get help? Really?  Hold off on a lawsuit until you've had a chance to step away from the problem, evaluate your life, learn some coping skills, and see how it goes.  

I personally have a soft spot for LeAnn. I respect her as an artist and honestly could care less about her relationship with Eddie and how it got started. To me it's been years since all the cheating went down and everyone needs to calm down and seriously just get over it already, especially since it's really no one's business but those main people involved. That said, I also think LeAnn needs to chill and quit trying to prove to the world that her relationship is legit and happy. Maybe she's not trying to prove anything, but I doubt I'm the only one who sees it that way. I also think anyone who harasses someone on Twitter or Facebook or wherever needs to seek counseling themselves because they've obviously got some issues of their own, but come on, suing over some audio that actually wasn't that bad? I mean really? Suing over Twitter harassment? Really? It's all just so bizarre and reminiscent of high school. 

I believe strongly that whatever LeAnn is going through right now runs deeper than the simple explanation given in a short statement to the media, but that's LeAnn's business. I just hope if she's honestly in a 30-day treatment program trying to get help that it starts the healing process and we can finally get back to the talented, musical LeAnn rather than the sad media freak show we've been witness to the last couple of years. 

Comments

[Shannon]

I don't discount the harassment and I think everyone in this case needs to get a life and quit being assholes, but I do believe that LeAnn is a 30-year-old woman and not some 16-year-old teenager in high school who can't control her environment and is forced to attend school with her bullies. If you're an adult who is being harassed on a social media site then you have far more options than sitting around reading evil tweets about yourself. Sometimes you just have to say enough is enough and stop paying attention to the stuff people say about you, or quit the social media site completely. And you are able to use Twitter without reading other people's comments.

Let's say I was being harassed in the comments section of my site here. Does it make more sense to head to a treatment center to deal with the harassment or simply stop reading the comments? Or shut the comments section down altogether? Or maybe just ban the worst offenders? No social media site, website, or anything internet related is worth a person's mental health.

On a side note, I think LeAnn's problems probably go deeper than just harassment by some spiteful people on Twitter and if LeAnn is including all her problems in her treatment plan then I say good for her.

[Lisa]

I find it a little odd that you would discount the twitter bullying. Have you not heard of the suicides that have benn connected to twitter and other social media sites? And last thing...why should Leann have to stay off twitter? Thats just saying to the bullys,"do and say everything you want to harras Leann or others because if they don't like it then they can get off twitter??
Why is it that the person being harrassed and bullied should have to stay off twitter? I know, BETTER idea...how bout we start doing something about the bullying and harrassment and get THOSE people kicked off twitter?!!! Wow, crazy concept huh!