A New York court has ruled in favor of a Long Island father who used spanking as a form of discipline. 

The Associated Press reports that the state appellate division dismissed a child neglect case, deciding that reasonable force was used when in the spanking of an 8-year-old boy for cursing at an adult.



It happened back in Oct. 2012 during a party at a friend's house. Suffolk County social services claimed the dad used an open hand and then a belt on his son after they got home. 

A county family court found the father in neglect, but the appeals court said that under the circumstances, the spanking "did not constitute excessive corporal punishment." It added there was insufficient evidence to prove the boy was struck with a belt. 

The ruling created a record-breaking buzz among News 12 viewers on Facebook, generating nearly 3,000 comments.