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Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

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Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#11

Post by kartan »

ceejayoz wrote: post #4
Neliquat wrote: post #2

It seems to me, that any decent Law firm would have told her not to tweet about it imho. /ianal

Trying a case via the media to push a large company into a settlement is hardly a new strategy, especially with a company like Uber that's getting large amounts of bad PR.

> that's getting large amounts of bad PR.

Do you mean that is caught doing a lot of nasty stuff? The company has problems, it pushes against workers rights, it leaves towns that don't bow to their business tactics, it is sexist, etc. The "bad PR" is the symptom not the problem. Their actions are the problem.

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#12

Post by westbywest »

Neliquat wrote: post #2

It seems to me, that any decent Law firm would have told her not to tweet about it imho. /ianal

Under other circumstances I'd agree this is poor strategy w/r/t preparing for possible future legal defense. Detail here may be that Fowler may soon find herself gagged from disclosing further details, especially if surviving terms in her employment contract with Uber allow for it.

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#13

Post by thedz »

mikestew wrote: post #6

Umm, okay. I would fully expect this. Ms. Fowler seems to be a large liability for Uber. I don't find it unreasonable that "Uber has a law firm investigating ", if for no other reason than to find what she knew and when she knew it (or something along those lines), were she to sue what are the potential ramifications, et. al. IOW, I'm not going to run in circles over a seven word tweet that could mean about anything.

> IOW, I'm not going to run in circles over a seven word tweet that could mean about anything.

It's not a 7 word tweet. Full text of linked tweet:

"Uber names/blames me for account deletes, and has a different law firm -not Holders - investigating me. I have hired"

The "names/blames for account deletes" is kinda weird. In either case, the title of this submission is a strict paraphrasing (despite being in quotes) of an already short tweet, which is pretty meh.

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#14

Post by bigethan »

mikestew wrote: post #6

Umm, okay. I would fully expect this. Ms. Fowler seems to be a large liability for Uber. I don't find it unreasonable that "Uber has a law firm investigating ", if for no other reason than to find what she knew and when she knew it (or something along those lines), were she to sue what are the potential ramifications, et. al. IOW, I'm not going to run in circles over a seven word tweet that could mean about anything.

The seven words in the HN title are not the tweet.

Part of the actual tweet is: "Uber names/blames me for account deletes" That's a much more aggressive approach than the defensive reasoning you're conjuring out of thin air.

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#15

Post by thedz »

The title of this submission is a strict paraphrasing (despite being in quotes) of an already short tweet, which is pretty meh.

The full tweet is: "Uber names/blames me for account deletes, and has a different law firm -not Holders - investigating me. I have hired"

"Uber names/blames me for account deletes" is a pretty bold claim, and doesn't feel like a routine investigation.

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#16

Post by [deleted] »

mikestew wrote: post #6

Umm, okay. I would fully expect this. Ms. Fowler seems to be a large liability for Uber. I don't find it unreasonable that "Uber has a law firm investigating ", if for no other reason than to find what she knew and when she knew it (or something along those lines), were she to sue what are the potential ramifications, et. al. IOW, I'm not going to run in circles over a seven word tweet that could mean about anything.

[deleted]

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#17

Post by minimaxir »

mikestew wrote: post #6

Umm, okay. I would fully expect this. Ms. Fowler seems to be a large liability for Uber. I don't find it unreasonable that "Uber has a law firm investigating ", if for no other reason than to find what she knew and when she knew it (or something along those lines), were she to sue what are the potential ramifications, et. al. IOW, I'm not going to run in circles over a seven word tweet that could mean about anything.

A previous tweet implied this may be a part of a smear campaign: https://twitter.com/susanthesquark/status/835193441814392833

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#18

Post by asdfasdf32r3 »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #7

Not surprising. Depressing, but not at all surprising.

Why is it depressing? The company needs to know where it stands. This tweet could mean anything from her being stalked to legal representatives taking pre-deposition interviews.

While it seems pretty cut and dried to me that Uber is in the wrong, don't they have the responsibility and the right to investigate for themselves?

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#19

Post by fictioncircle »

_m8fo wrote: post #9

I'm pretty clueless about the law, but I don't really see what case Uber has against her. How could they prove that she's the one that resulted in account deletions? Even if you suppose she's the one to blame, if what she claimed is true then wouldn't their point be moot?

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/02/27/it-admin-was-aut...

They are probably thinking they can go that route.

Re: Uber has a law firm investigating me – Susan Fowler

#20

Post by rrggrr »

Pro tip for whistleblowers: Hire an attorney before you blow the whistle, and listen to their advice. Preferably an attorney who has litigated against your employer in the past. If you simply must write a diatribe beforehand then stick the facts of the issue at-hand (eg. discrimination) and avoid the temptation to author a tell all. Even the best future employers will be given pause upon learning of your tell all blog post, regardless of the rock solid merits. In short: Don't let you feelings get in the way of your desired result.
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