How Social Media Can Affect Your Personal Injury Lawsuit
Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC is one of the leading law firms in the Salt Lake City area, helping countless clients with complex litigation and personal injury law matters. Our focus on strong litigation and expert counsel help clients with their cases in numerous ways.
More and more, we find ourselves helping clients make smart choices about their online presence, especially social media. It's possible for these matters to affect your legal claim.
Privacy Can Be Difficult on the Internet
It's the modern worry that we all have to face: how to remain private on the internet. There have been plenty of stories about people having their phones and social media hacked, leading to legitimate concerns about how secure our lives are online. This is a pressing matter today now that we're more wired than ever.
When it comes to lawsuits and social media, however, in many cases you are your own worst enemy.
Problems with What You Post on Social Media
When you post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Googe+, other people can get a look at what's happening in your life. Usually this is information you want people to know about, but if you have a personal injury case in progress, this information can undermine your side.
For example, let's say you currently have a legal claim against someone for an auto accident. You have been seriously injured, and it affects your ability to be mobile and find a decent job given your physical limitations. If a photo goes up of you at a party dancing, or out and about with loved ones, it can paint a very different picture about the state of your injury. Sometimes photos need context, but images can be damning even without context.
Should images or posts that seem to contradict your legal complaint appear online, they may be used against you.
Other Parties Using Your Social Media Info without Your Knowledge
Another factor to be wary of is other people using your social media to get information about you. This might mean reading through your posts to find conversations with loved ones and associates, and then seeking them out for information on your well-being and livelihood. It would also involve information being sought on linked it to examine work history and co-workers.
This may not seem bad on its surface, but there is a potential of all that public information being used to undermine your legal claim, so please keep that in mind.
How to Protect Your Interests with Responsible Social Media Use
The best way to protect your case and your privacy is to consider these tips and abide by them:
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Be Careful About What You Post – If you have second thoughts about posting something before you post it, just don't post it.
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Clue In Your Loved Ones – Ask your friends and family member to not post anything about you without your permission.
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Set Your Profiles to Private – Set your pages to private to make sure only the people you want to see you social media profiles see them.
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Consult Your Attorney for Addition Info – When in doubt, don't be afraid to ask you attorney for legal advice in these matters. Their input can make a major difference.
Contact Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC
To learn more about the process of legal cases and how they may be affected by social media and other aspects of modern life, be sure to contact our team of personal injury attorneys today. The legal team at Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC will provide expert counsel on all of these matters.
