Facebook Photos Part of Target Slip-and-Fall Lawsuit

 An appeals court in Florida has ordered the plaintiff in a slip-and-fall case who sued Target to turn over photographs she had deleted from her Facebook account. According to a Law 360 news report, the court said users of social media should not expect information posted on these sites to remain private. The appellate court denied the woman’s petition to quash an order to produce the photographs ruling that she has “a limited privacy interest, if any, in pictures posted on her social networking sites.”

The Issue of Social Media Posts
The panel also determined that the photos would help establish the exact extent of her alleged injuries. The court ruled that by creating the Facebook account, a user acknowledges that her personal information would be shared with others. Attorneys for Target said the court ruling provided a much-needed precedent in personal injury cases where evidence from social media posts often becomes an issue. In this particular case, the appellate court judges pointed to photos and/or videos posted on Facebook, which might show that the woman’s injury claims may have been exaggerated.
How Social Media Can Ruin Your Case
This appellate court decision in Florida is an example of how what you post on social media sites can jeopardize your personal injury case. It also shows that there is no such thing as “privacy” on the Internet. Do not put anything you don’t want others to see on your blog or social media sites. Do not post details about your accident, injuries or recovery on a social media site or personal blog.
This includes uploading videos or photos. The ideal action to take would be to suspend or close your social media accounts so there is no access. This case also shows that insurance companies and defense attorneys do try to dig up whatever information they can about the plaintiff. Social media sites and blogs are low-hanging fruit in that regard. Contact an experienced New York personal injury lawyer who can help guide you through the process and help you avoid these types of pitfalls that can have a significant impact on your injury claim.
Protecting Your Rights
If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recovered $1,700,000 for a woman who slipped and fell and received no hospital or medical treatment for one month after the accident.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: Law 360