Archive for April, 2012
Why You Need To Deactivate Your Social Media Accounts During Lawsuits
Ever since the start of the decade, when the Internet took off, social media websites such as MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook have seemingly taken on a life of their own. It’s as rare to find a person without a social media account, as it is to determine when the Leafs will win the Stanley Cup. However, with that being said, if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident of any kind, it is important, that you deactivate your social media account right away. The reason for this is that because social media is open to the public, not only can friends and family see what you are posting online, but so too can insurance adjusters deciding how much compensation you deserve. Today we’ll look at why you should deactivate your social media accounts.
Social media sites such, as the ones mentioned earlier are both good and bad. On the one hand, they allow you to connect with people all over the world, through images and content. Conversely, a picture from last summer’s beach party posted on Facebook could turn up in a courtroom, a year later as evidence by the insurance company, that you are perfectly fine. Meaning to say, deactivating your social media accounts, can be a good thing, because it keeps your privacy in tact, and it disallows the insurance company or defendant in your lawsuit from using your personal information and spinning it negatively.
No case stands out more for the argument of deactivating your social media accounts, then Bishop v Minichiello from British Columbia Court Of Appeals. In the case, the plaintiff Bishop, argued that after being in a motor vehicle accident caused by Minichiello, he suffered a traumatic brain injury leading to debilitating fatigue, and thus he deserved compensation for his injury. However, Minichiello’s insurance provider argued, that they should be allowed to see the log in and out times of Bishop’s social media accounts. In essence, they believed, that the log in and out times would allow them to see how long Bishop was on the sites while supposedly ‘recovering from injuries’. For this reason, the lawyers for Minichiello’s insurance provider were suggesting it was the use of social media that was causing the damages, and not the car accident. The judge sided with the insurance company, which in turn lowered Bishop’s claim.
These legal tips have been provided by www.personalinjurylawyersintoronto.ca. Check out their legal blog for lots of more great advice and legal tips.
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