Social media can have a profound impact on a lawsuit and can even make or break one’s case. Take, for example, a person who is claiming they are unable to work due to a workplace injury, but a quick perusal of their social media accounts reveals their ability to waterski simultaneous to the claim. An attorney will likely be able to use that post to make an argument in court. However, if the waterskiing employee realizes the post is problematic given his or her recent claim, they may decide to delete the photo. Deletion of tweets or Facebook posts in an effort to conceal evidence could result in dismissal of…
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Jurors: The Social Media Balancing Act
Despite what Hollywood would have their audiences believe, most civil lawsuits settle before ever reaching a jury trial. When cases do make it to a jury, the selection process is very important. In domestic violence cases, defense attorneys aren’t likely to select a juror that suffered through similar circumstances. In civil cases, a plaintiffs’ attorney would likely dismiss a juror who has been a loyal employee of the defendant. It is easy enough to ask the jury basic questions during the selection process or garner simple information from juror questionnaires, but this is the information age and publicly available personal details are out there for…
