I've often spoken on the show about how what we post on social media impacts our lives. Specifically, employers are now looking at social media before hiring. Colleges are looking at social media before issuing admission letters. I have many friends in the legal community who have used embarrassing social media posts in court against a witness.
But THIS is a poor use of social media that I hadn't previously considered.
The former head of a private preparatory school in Miami, Florida is out an $80,000 discrimination settlement after his daughter boasted about it on Facebook. Patrick Snay had filed an age discrimination complaint when his 2010-11 contract wasn't renewed at the school and in November 2011, the school and Snay came to an agreement in which Snay would be paid $10,000 in back pay and an $80,000 settlement. Gulliver Schools also agreed to cut Snay's attorneys a check for $60,000.
But before the ink could dry on the deal, Snay's daughter, Dana, took to Facebook, boasting, "Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver. Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT."
Of course, the post was widely circulated among Gulliver’s former students and it got back to the school administrators who then turned it over to their attorneys who then filed an appeal with a judge. The Third District Court of Appeal threw out the lawsuit, saying Snay violated the settlement’s confidentiality agreement.
No word on if the vacation to Europe is still on. At least she's famous on social media now.