In a recent article in the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle, FGMC’s Danny Foster shared his thoughts on the dangers of over-sharing on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
“My favorite video is when I see someone who I have sued for injuring my client doing shots of vodka, or posting comments about their recreational marijuana use, or otherwise implicating themselves in the wrongful acts that injured my client,” said Foster. “You can bet that if those are publicly accessible videos and comments I will be downloading them and using them as exhibits in a trial or deposition to attack the defendant.”
The kicker? Most of the time, this type of evidence will be allowed in the courtroom (providing the content was shared publicly on social media).
The risk of over-sharing goes both ways, however. Danny Foster recounts a time when a client posted photos of him and his friends drinking at a club – while the client was awaiting trial for a vehicular manslaughter DUI case.
“Needless to say the judge found his remorseful statement to lack credibility and it likely impacted the sentence he received,” said Foster.
Before you share those questionable photos from your last Spring Break, think twice about what those photos or posts could say to potential future employers or even to a judge. Don’t risk your job or your life for the sake of a few extra Facebook ‘likes’!