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Facebook Evidence May Be Discoverable: Ask For It! (Preserve It!)

May 2013 by William E. Hannum III

[May 13, 2013]  A federal judge in New Jersey recently sanctioned a plaintiff for deleting his Facebook account, which purportedly contained photographs and other information that contradicted his personal injury claims against the defendants.

The plaintiff had agreed, as part of discovery, to provide the contents of his Facebook account.  Instead, he deleted it.

As a sanction, the court agreed to provide a spoliation instruction at the trial, instructing the jury that it may draw an adverse inference from the plaintiff’s destruction of the evidence.

The decision serves as a reminder that employers should seek discovery of from the Facebook and other social media accounts of plaintiffs in employment litigation.  (Ask for it!)

It is also a reminder to businesses that they must ensure that their managers and other decision-makers do not destroy such evidence, if it exists.  (Preserve it!)

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Effective Harassment Policies And Practices Can Be An Employer’s Best Defense

July 2011 by Sara Goldsmith Schwartz

With all of the cautionary tales about what can happen when employers don’t comply with employment laws, it is nice to hear about an employer whose compliance was rewarded. In Wilson v. Moulison North Corp., a recent opinion by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Court affirmed summary judgment for an employer that took appropriate precautions to prevent harassment in the workplace. In Wilson, the Court found that the employer had an appropriate policy against harassment, followed its policy, and as such, could not be found liable for the harassment of an employee.  Read more.