4 Social Media Rules to Follow During a Medical Malpractice Trial
If you are involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit, there are people looking for anything they can find on you, and finding it by means of social media is becoming a common practice. Anything that you post on social media during the suit could be used against you in court. That is why it is […]
December 6, 2017
If you are involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit, there are people looking for anything they can find on you, and finding it by means of social media is becoming a common practice. Anything that you post on social media during the suit could be used against you in court. That is why it is important to take proper measures on your social media page so that you do not sell yourself, and your privacy, away to the other side.
Know Who Your Friends Are
It is extremely important that you do not add anyone on social media that you do not know. Although uncommon, it is also not unheard of for a defending attorney to add the victim on social media in order to watch what is posted just in case there is a possibility of using anything in court. If you do not know a person, it is important that you do not allow them access into your private world, at least during the duration of the case.
It is also advised that you do not interact with your own lawyer on social media throughout the case. This is not a professional realm, and therefore professional relations and conversations should take place elsewhere. For example, while it’s okay to like your law firm’s Facebook page, it’s not a good idea to try to add your lawyer personally as a friend or conduct business conversations over Facebook Messenger.
Set Proper Privacy Measures
All social media sites have different privacy settings. While it would be highly recommended to avoid social media entirely during the duration of the case, if this is not an option for you, then at least set the privacy setting as high as it will allow you to go. No one other than your friends should be able to see anything at all on your profile until the case is closed.
Do Not Post About the Case
Even if you know every single person on your social media page, you never know who you might not be able to trust. Never post anything about the case. For your medical malpractice case, do not even post anything suggesting injury or incident. It is absolutely important that nothing about the case is shared on social media, for two reasons:
- It could provide information that the other side might use against you.
- It could give away information that your attorney was hoping to surprise the other side with during the trial.
While the case may very well be the most relevant issue in your life at the time, it is of utmost importance that you keep any details off of social media so that nothing is jeopardized for the sake of a good post.
Do Not Delete Previous Posts
It is important to note that if you are guilty of any of the issues above, do not return to the page to delete any of these posts. No matter what you have posted in the past, or even recently, and no matter how detrimental it may seem to the case, once it is posted, it should stay up. Deleting a post relevant to your case may be construed as destruction of evidence in court.
Help from an Indiana Medical Malpractice Lawyer
We understand that in the midst of a medical malpractice you may be in pain and feel alone, and at times social media can provide a haven for support and advice. However, this haven may also result in hard consequences in the trial. Instead, seek the advice of a medical malpractice lawyer. Contact Hensley Legal Group for a free consultation, or contact us online.