Legal News

Watch What You Tweet

By Brian Harris

My mother, like most every mother, used to say, ?If you can?t say anything nice, don?t say anything at all.?  When she said that, she was thinking about what I said in person or over the phone, not electronically.  And she was trying to teach me morals, not help me avoid a lawsuit (presumably).  The adage, however, remains fully applicable in today?s world of e-mails, texts and social networking.  This week came a reminder that it even applies to tweets posted on the microblogging site Twitter. 

These days, it seems like everyone is talking about Twitter.  Politicians, athletes, and celebrities use the site to reach their followers quickly and directly.  The site even proved a powerful tool for demonstrators during protests of the recent Iranian presidential election.  However, while many people tweet whatever comes to mind, doing so got a Chicago woman sued last week. 

The tweeter in question, Amanda Bonnen, lives in an apartment managed by Horizon Group Management.  Bonnen allegedly tweeted, ?Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you?  Horizon realty thinks it?s okay.?  This week, Horizon fired back with a defamation lawsuit against Bonnen, claiming that the company has been injured in its reputation as a landlord because of the tweet.  Obviously, at this early stage, there is no way to predict how the case will come out.  But the suit is an illustration that tweeting on Twitter does not exempt you from basic rules of speech.  So remember, if you have something negative to say about someone, even in the 140 characters allowed on Twitter, be prepared to back it up to avoid a suit.  Or perhaps, even better, pause for a second and try to hear your mother?s advice in your ears. 

Joshua D. Wolson is a member of the litigation department at Dilworth Paxson.  He can be reached at 215-575-7295 or jwolson@dilworthlaw.com.  This posting is for informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as legal advice on any matter.

Full post as published by The Legal Intelligencer Blog on August 06, 2009 (boomark / email).