Advocating for Employees in San Antonio, TX and Beyond
A Georgia school teacher lost her job over Facebook photos of her holding an alcoholic drink during a European vacation. A parent supposedly complained and she was forced out. Now, she is suing for damages. The district judge granted summary judgment to the employer. See Atalanta Journal-Constitution report.
The school teacher, Ashley Payne, claims…
Some time back, I discussed a case where the defendant in a personal injury lawsyit was trying to obtain continued discovery of a plaintiff’s Facebook and My Space entries. See my prior post. The Houston trial judge had ruled that after the plaintiff changed her settings to private, the defendant could no longer obtain…
As I have described here a few times here, here and here, employees may make negative comments on Facebook about their job. So long as the employee is deemed to be discussing "terms and conditions" of employment with other employees, then yes, the employee can say things the employer would prefer not to…
A judge has ordered that five employees who voiced complaints on Facebook be reinstated to their jobs and be awarded backpay. The five employees of Hispanics United of Buffalo complained about the workloads and other conditions of their job. HUB is a non-profit agency in Buffalo, New York. Their supervisor then fired them, saying their…
Facebook has become a big part of the lives of many Americans in a very short amount of time. One photographer recently was hired to take senior pictures at a high school. The photographer came across a FB page poking fun at some girls. Someone had created a fictitious name just so they could post…
Well, it had to happen sooner or later. A parent has filed suit against some middle school boys regarding things they said about the man’s young daughter. The father, a Houston area lawyer, sued the boys over a video posted by the boys regarding his daugther. See Texas Lawyer report. The father, acting as…
In a lawsuit in Houston, the defendant has filed a writ with the Texas Supreme Court seeking access to a plaintff’s Facebook and MySpace entries. The defendant wants the entries because they represent a "compilation" of who the plaintiff is. See petition for writ of mandamus. In Re Magellan Holdings, LP And…
Facebook has become such a part of the daily lives for many of us that we post without much thought. Perhaps, that is why one Guadalupe County (near San Antonio) prosecutor violated a court order. Assistant District Attorney Larry Bloomquist posted an update on a manslaughter trial he was prosecuting. Mr. Bloomquist had posted an…
You know its bad when a judge orders a debt collector not to contact a debtor, her friends or family on Facebook. Melanie Meacham filed suit over MarkOne Financial’s debt collection practices in Pinellas County District Court – near Orlando, Florida. See ABA Bar Journal report. MarkOne declined to respond, but stated last year apparently…
A Dallas personal injury firm has seized on the social media revolution to market its Facebook page. Eberstein and Witherite offered iPad’s to a lucky few and t-shirts if the participants would "like" its Facebook page and submit photos of themselves wearing its 1800 Car Wreck t-shirts. See Texas Lawyer report. Clicking on the…