Surely enough as accident lawyers in Cyprus we can learn a lot from other jurisdictions that apply the common law, as too often similar or same rules of procedure and law apply in Cyprus.

California
In California a State Court ruled that the information contained in the claimant’s Facebook and Myspace accounts could have been presented to the defendant lawyers of the insurance company. The claimant objected to this demand of the insurance company, citing the relevant privacy and private data protection laws. The judge did not agree.

On appeal, the first instance judgment was reversed by the Federal Court. The Appellate Court thought that the decisive criterion was the confidentiality and privacy settings of the social media accounts of the claimant. In the given case, the settings were such so that only the claimant’s friends could access the content of the accounts. As such, the information was considered private and therefore could not have been used by the insurance company in Court.

New York
In New York there was a judgment with the exact opposite result. The claimant filed a personal injury action asserting that she suffered serious injury after falling off from a chair. She was claiming damages against the chair manufacturer. The day of her injury, she uploaded smileys on her Facebook Profile.

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As one might expect, her actions drew the interest of the insurance company lawyers. They applied to the Court requesting access to her Facebook account.

As with the California case, the claimant’s settings were set to private, in such a way as only her friends could have access to her content. However, the Court here held that since the Claimant choose to upload personal information in social media platforms, with her actions she waived any rights to privacy.

Cyprus Personal Injury Compensation Claim

Well, be warned. You can be sure that insurance company lawyers can easily access your Facebook or other social media accounts, especially in Cyprus where everybody is friend with everybody. In such case, a District Court in Cyprus will have to carefully assess the particular facts of the case and the personal injury lawyers’ arguments as well as the insurance company lawyers’ arguments.

Surely enough it is good advice to keep your private life away from social media like Facebook. This becomes more important if you are pursuing a court action for compensation for personal injuries after a road traffic accident or any other accident.

A capable defence lawyer employed by an insurance company could certainly exploit the content of your Facebook account and use either a picture uploaded or something you wrote and try to use it against you in Court.

Contact us Today to Claim you Compensation Against Insurance Companies
We work with clients that have suffered injuries due to accidents with the sole purpose of safeguarding their rights and claiming on their behalf the maximum attainable compensation. Our office over the years has secured for many accident victims fair compensation for their continued medical care, the loss of their income and the pain and suffering they have endured due to the negligence of others.

Call us today at our law office in Nicosia at +357 22 020130 or email us for a free assessment of your case. If you are unable to visit us at our office we may arrange for a home or hospital visit.

Our law office is in Nicosia and we take on cases and appear before all district Courts in all cities of Cyprus, Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca or Famagusta.

We do not charge for the initial consultation. The decision of whether you wish to proceed is entirely yours. We will advise as to the merits of your case, the chances of success and the amount you may expect as compensation. We offer no win no fee funding agreements which means there is no financial risk to you.

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