Do's and Don'ts: Social Media Tips if You are Involved in a Lawsuit

If you have been involved in an accident resulting in a personal injury, there are several do's and don'ts that you need to be aware of in regards to posting on social media. A simple mistake on a social media platform can cause you to lose some or all of the compensation that is due to you. First and foremost, it is imperative to understand that anything you say or do online can be used against you. It is not beyond an attorney to scour your social media postings and use them against you in the court of law if you are in the middle of a personal injury settlement. Whether it be an attorney for an insurance company or a lawyer for the at-fault party, your social media behavior will be monitored and used against you if possible. With this in mind, let's take a close look at the do's and don'ts of social media if you are involved in a lawsuit.

DO shut down your blog: Ranting about the lawsuit and any of the factors involved is a big no-no. Lawyers will go straight to your blog on a regular basis to see if you have posted anything that could be in their favor, and if you do and they find it, they can use this in the court of law against you. This is why it is best to completely shut down your blog while the lawsuit is taking place. Don't have a blog? If not, then now is definitely not the time to start one.

DO watch what your friends post: Even if you don't make postings to your social media profiles, it is pertinent to remember that your friends can make postings and tag you in them. Because of this, you need to make sure you are monitoring what they are posting and whether or not you are linked or tagged in any of the postings. If you are tagged in anything that could contradict the claims you are making, then you will need to ask your friends to un-tag you, or you may even want to consider completely deleting your profile.

DON'T post anything even remotely related to the lawsuit: If you think a posting could be misinterpreted in some way and related to the lawsuit, DON'T post it. In fact, it is probably in your best interest not to post anything to any of your social media profiles.

DON'T forget about ALL of your social media profiles: You may think that Facebook and Twitter are the only social media platforms that attorneys monitor, but in all actuality, they have the ability to find you on just about any public platform, including YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace, and more. With this in mind, make sure you properly monitor all of platforms when posting to social media.

A criminal defense attorney can use social media in a personal injury case, so monitoring your profiles is of the utmost importance. Contact a personal injury lawyer today to learn more about the do's and don'ts of social media when involved in a lawsuit.