Arbitration & Mediation

LOS ANGELES - In an unusual twist to an already unusual case, federal prosecutors Wednesday insisted on their right to try the MySpace cyber-bullying case before a jury even though the defense wants a bench trial.

Lori Drew, 49, is set for a Nov. 18 trial on one count of conspiracy and three counts of unlawfully accessing protected computers. Drew and others allegedly created a fictitious MySpace profile of a teenage boy Josh Evans. Prosecutors say that Drew and her cohorts used the profile to feign romantic interest in 13-year-old Megan Meier, who hanged herself in October 2006 when the relationship soured.

Drew, along with her attorney, H. Dean Steward of San Clemente, filed a signed waiver of Drew's right to a jury trial and requested a bench trial before U.S. District Judge George H. Wu. But prosecutors insisted on exercising their own right to a jury trial. As a result, Drew will be tried before a jury.

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