Social media is a great way to stay connected to friends and family. Within minutes, you can share your child’s special moments or a funny video of your crazy cat with dozens of people.
However, sharing too much information could hurt more than it helps.
A high-stakes gamble
It’s natural that you want to keep everyone updated about what’s happening with your personal injury lawsuit. It’s an emotional and stressful time for you, but there’s a lot at stake, and you don’t want something as simple as a social media post to derail your claim.
Insurance companies and the opposing side don’t want to pay out a significant amount of money and will look for ways to minimize those payouts. They may scour the internet and monitor your social media activity. Even the most innocent post could be used to damage your credibility. A simple photo of you laughing with friends could be misconstrued to show that you’re in better condition than what you claim.
Even though your account settings may be set to private, photos, captions, comments and geotags are admissible in court.
Staying off social media while your personal injury case is going on is your best option. If that’s not possible, you may want to minimize your activity and consider carefully before posting. Here is what you should avoid sharing:
- Updates on your treatment or how you are feeling
- Photos of any physical activity, even if it’s only playing with your pet
- Frustrations about your case, the legal process, the judge or the opposing party
- In addition, if someone else posts anything about the case, refrain from commenting
Adjust your profile’s privacy settings to limit your audience, and don’t accept any new friend requests. Fake profiles are easy to set up, and it’s possible that someone from the opposing party may try to gain access to your information.
You deserve compensation if someone’s negligence is the cause of your injury. Use this time to focus on your recovery and ensure you have someone who is protecting your interests.