Google Screened
Social Network Warning: Pennsylvania Court Orders Injury Victim to Reveal Facebook and MySpace Account Information
Galfand Berger cares about the rights of injury victims. When we recently read about a Pennsylvania court’s decision allowing defendants access to an injury victim’s Facebook and MySpace accounts, we thought you should be informed!
The court concluded that the Plaintiff’s postings were not subject to a right of privacy because Plaintiff discussed his lawsuit and related injuries on his public postings. If Plaintiff similarly discussed his lawsuit and injuries in private posts, then, the court determined, such information might be relevant to Defendant’s defense of its case. McMillen v. Hummingbird Speedway, Inc., 2010 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 270 (Pa. County Ct. 2010).
As a result of the court’s ruling, personal injury victims should approach with caution the information they post about their injuries and/or court claims on social networking sites. We suggest that you:
- Set all of your social network websites to have the maximum privacy settings;
- Never post comments, photographs, articles or images about your legal claims on a social network website;
- Never post any information that acknowledges or suggests you have engaged in illegal activities; and
- Limit what you allow your online “friends” to post to your social network pages.
Following these tips may help prevent a defendant from gaining access to your social network sites.
Galfand Berger has been representing catastrophically injured clients for over 75 years and has a long history of raising the bar for obtaining verdicts and settlements in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you or someone you know has been injured, please call Galfand Berger toll free at 800-222-8792 to speak to a lawyer about your legal rights.