Sheldon works for Caltech and is a theoretical physicist, who focuses on string theory. Sheldon met and married Amy. Before Sheldon became a theoretical physicist he grew up in Medford, Texas. After Sheldon and Amy married, they decided to visit his hometown of Medford. Sheldon showed Amy where he had lived and the schools he had attended. Upon returning home, Sheldon decided to write an article about his time in Medford and posted it on his online journal on MySpace.com. His last name did not appear online; however, his page included his picture. The article started with "The older I get, the more I realize how much I despised Medford," and then he proceeded to make several negative comments about Medford and its inhabitants. Two weeks later, Sheldon removed the article from his journal.

At the time, Sheldon's mother, brother, and twin sister were living in Medford. George Jr. was a successful businessman in the area. The Medford High School principal, J. Petersen the III, submitted the article to the local newspaper, the Medford Record, and it was published in the Letters to the Editor section. The publication included Sheldon's full name. The Medford community reacted violently to the article, forcing George Jr. to close the business and move. Sheldon, George Jr., his mother, and his sister sued J. Petersen the III and the Medford Record for invasion of privacy on the right-of-privacy theory of public disclosure of private facts.

For this discussion, you will answer the following.

• Discuss if their (i.e., Sheldon, George Jr., his mother, and his sister) right of privacy was violated.
• Discuss the essential elements of the right-of-privacy theory.