3 Ways Social Media Posts Can Sabotage Your Injury Claim
Social media can be a great tool for sharing your emotions to the world, but it can also end up sabotaging your injury claims.
Just last week, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson posted a photo of the car crash his mother and cousin survived on Instagram, along with a caption expressing his emotions about the incident. Although many of his words were heartfelt, Johnson did mention that his first reaction was to "find the person who did this and do unrelenting harm to them," reports The Huffington Post.
Will Johnson's angry Instagram aside prevent his relatives from quickly settling their case? That's yet to be seen, but here are three common ways social media posts like Johnson's can potentially sabotage an injury claim:
1. Revealing Confidential Terms of Settlement.
If your injury settlement includes a non-disclosure agreement, then you should definitely watch what you and your loved ones say about the other party on social media. Non-disclosure agreements are often used by businesses and celebrities to keep certain persons from leaking sensitive information to the public.
When one party agrees to settle an injury claim, there may be a request that all parties refrain from discussing the terms of the settlement. So if you or your family members take to Facebook to announce the settlement terms and tell the other party to "suck it," your settlement award may become a distant memory.
2. Posting Incriminating Videos and Photos.
Ready to share your latest exploits on Instagram or Tumblr? Think twice about letting the Twitterverse know about your latest activities, because they may come back to bite you in your injury case.
Just ask Dorothy McGurk. She was juicing her husband for alimony, claiming she was "disabled," but it all came undone when her ex found her blog featuring years' worth of belly dancing photos that showed she wasn't disabled. We would not suppose that anyone is attempting to defraud the other party in asserting injury claims, but posting videos of yourself performing physical activity can certainly give the wrong impression.
3. Threatening the Other Party.
Especially if the defendant is a corporation, it may be very tempting to blast them on social media. While Twitter or Facebook potshots may be legal, it may nonetheless poison the settlement process and increase your likelihood of going to trial.
So if you're involved in a personal injury case, you may want to leave social media for checking out videos of puppies and babies -- and let your attorney do the talking.
- Injured? Exercise your legal rights. Get in touch with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney in your area today.
Related Resources:
- The Rock's Mom -- Car Smashed by Drunk Driver in Head on Collision (TMZ)
- Tweets Decrease Damages in Car Accident Suit (FindLaw's Injured)
- Unwanted Facebook Photo: Invasion of Privacy? (FindLaw's Injured)
- 'Kia Hamster' Dancer Busted for Alleged Disability Fraud (FindLaw's Legally Weird)