Stopping the Harassment: How a North Carolina Musician Won a 50C No-Contact Order

Disclaimer: All personal names in this article have been changed to pseudonyms to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

When Emily Fields, a Wilmington musician and small business owner, first learned that her name had been disclosed in her partner’s divorce case, she didn’t think much of it. She had never met his ex-wife, never exchanged a word with her, and assumed her personal and professional life were insulated from the ongoing family litigation in Wake County.

But within a week, Emily’s world tilted.

From Fetish Site to Symphony Hall

The first signs were jarring comments left under photos on a private adult website where Emily kept a profile. The remarks were vicious, mocking her work as a flutist and even naming her children. Soon, anonymous accounts appeared on the same site, reposting photos from her business website—including images of her with students and her child—and attaching her phone number and home address.

Days later, things escalated further. Anonymous letters landed in inboxes across Wilmington’s music community: her symphony director, university colleagues, even a local public radio station. The letters accused Emily of everything from drug use to involvement in “pedophilia rings.” Within days, she was pulled from the symphony’s concert schedule. A smear campaign had leapt from the shadows of the internet into the center of her career.

The New Hanover County Courthouse

On February 21, 2025, Emily walked into the New Hanover County courthouse seeking relief under North Carolina’s 50C statute, which allows victims of stalking or harassment to obtain a civil no-contact order.

The hearing transcript reads like a playbook in how anonymous online attacks can bleed into the real world. Emily described the timeline: her name was revealed in late October during discovery in her partner’s divorce, and by early November, the online harassment had begun. Her partner testified about website analytics showing that IP addresses linked to the defendant matched activity on Emily’s own website—the same photos later weaponized against her.

Defense counsel countered that none of the harassing accounts bore the defendant’s name and that the photos were public. But the judge looked at the sequence: name disclosed October 31, online attacks beginning November 7, letters sent November 11. “More likely than not,” the judge said, this was targeted harassment.

The court granted Emily’s request. The no-contact order barred the defendant from contacting her, interfering with her business, or harassing her by electronic means.

Lessons Beyond the Case

Emily’s case shows how quickly reputational sabotage can escalate—and how civil remedies can help:

• Anonymity has limits. Digital breadcrumbs like IP addresses and website analytics can connect dots between discovery disclosures and harassment campaigns.
• Reputation damage is real. Emily’s symphony work vanished overnight, showing how harassment can affect livelihood, not just peace of mind.
• 50C orders have power. North Carolina’s statute provided a practical, enforceable boundary, even without a criminal conviction.
• Patterns persuade judges. The court didn’t need absolute proof. The timeline itself told a compelling story.

Closing

For Emily, the order was more than paperwork—it was validation that what she endured was harassment, not just “online drama.” For others in North Carolina and beyond, her story shows that civil courts, especially through 50C orders in counties like New Hanover, can step in when anonymous attacks cross the line into real-world harm.

If you or someone you know is facing online harassment, stalking, or reputational attacks, subscribe to SmallMatter for more real-world stories and lessons from inside the courtroom. These cases don’t just happen to companies or celebrities—they happen to ordinary people, and the law has tools you can use.