What does a teenager have in common with confidentiality? Absolutely nothing. Today’s youth live out their lives on social media without a thought of consequences from sharing every thought and action. Following is a guest blog by Wayne, PA employment lawyer Robin Bond. Read about how a college-age daughter’s Facebook post cost her father $80,000. These are your
employees and clients, folks. Make sure they understand the meaning of the term “confidential.”
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When a company and an employee sign off on a deal or settlement agreement, “confidentiality” about the terms of that agreement is often a key condition for payment. That means “keeping quiet” — and keeping your social media fingers, and those of your children, off the keys!
In Gulliver Schools, Inc. v. Snay, Patrick Snay’s lawyers negotiated a settlement of his age discrimination and retaliation claims; however, confidentiality was a key term for payment of $80,000. Snay told his college-age daughter that the case “was settled” and that he was “happy with the result.” Snay’s daughter did what many of her age would do: she immediately went to her Facebook page and posted the following message: “Mama and Papa Snay won their case against Gulliver. Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT.”
Snay’s daughter — a Gulliver alum — had approximately 1200 Facebook friends, and many of these were current or former Gulliver students as well – the exact population Gulliver did not want to know about the settlement. The school withheld the payment to Snay and the Court sided with the school, on the basis that the daughter’s social media posting violated her father’s duty of confidentiality under the settlement agreement.
The post How One Keystroke Can Undo Your Deal — Confidentiality: appeared first on PA Law Practice Management by Ellen Freedman.
