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When Sued Don't Tweet

jacquesmattheij.com

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Re: When Sued Don't Tweet

#4

Post by josefresco »

danielrmay wrote: post #3
throwaway9988 wrote: post #2

I'm curious to when/if there are exceptions to this standard advice. When could it be a strategic move?

When your lawyer tells you it is a strategic move.

Agreed. Also it can help with this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_public_opinion which can be a major factor in the outcome.

Re: When Sued Don't Tweet

#5

Post by arethuza »

throwaway9988 wrote: post #2

I'm curious to when/if there are exceptions to this standard advice. When could it be a strategic move?

I can't think of any - I know that having been sued (OK it was my start-up, but I took it rather personally) and it was incredibly stressful and at the start I nearly replied to the other side with communications trying to naively "sort things out" that could have made things even worse.

My stress levels decreased hugely when all communication was put into the hands of our lawyers - and it was eventually resolved with both sides walking away and paying their own expenses, which wasn't great as we had done nothing wrong but was probably the least worst option.

Honestly - if someone raises a legal action against you - talk to a lawyer who specializes in the relevant area and do what they tell you, which is likely to include no public statement without their approval.

Re: When Sued Don't Tweet

#7

Post by TomGullen »

throwaway9988 wrote: post #2

I'm curious to when/if there are exceptions to this standard advice. When could it be a strategic move?

Perhaps if you can't afford a good lawyer to defend yourself so you have to attack the reputation of the sueing company hoping they will drop it from public pressure?

Re: When Sued Don't Tweet

#8

Post by buro9 »

A possible exception: When you have no means to afford a lawyer and the case is obviously frivolous.

Whilst I would nearly always go for shutting up, we've probably all witnessed the David being sued by a Goliath and their only viable action is to make it know and get support.

That isn't what's happening here though... but no rule is black and white.

Re: When Sued Don't Tweet

#9

Post by 6cxs2hd6 »

throwaway9988 wrote: post #2

I'm curious to when/if there are exceptions to this standard advice. When could it be a strategic move?

For criminal matters, the short answer is, never. See Don't Talk to the Police. [1]. You want a defense attorney to handle this.

For civil matters, although IANAL I think similar reasons apply, so similar answer: Don't Talk to the Public. If you're truly famous enough to need to break this rule, then you need an attorney who specializes in high-profile cases like this.

Edit: By "cases like this", I mean an actor or athlete level of celebrity. Probably not John Carmack, despite how famous and awesome he may be within our circles. Really, the smartest thing is to just "shut up". Even though a false accusation is a genuine personal violation and you want to defend yourself, the best defense usually won't be DIY.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

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