Summary: Social media is increasingly being used as evidence in legal cases.
In mid-October, Blac Chyna threatened to sue the family of her ex, Rob Kardashian, because she said that they blocked her from a second season of her reality show. The show, Rob & Chyna, followed the unconventional couple as they embarked on parenthood, but in real life, their relationship imploded in a very public spectacle online.
Rob and Chyna began dating in January 2016 and their relationship ended in December of that year. Months later, Rob accused Chyna of cheating on him, and he posted nude photographs and videos of his ex in an attempt to shame her.
Now Rob’s history on social media is being used in the lawsuit Chyna has filed against the Kardashian family, which includes Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner. Forbes stated that this case is an example of how social media is playing an increasing role in legal proceedings, and the publication pointed out a few ways in which it is being used.
Social Media Can Be Used To Get People Fired
Blac Chyna believes the Kardashian family used their clout at E! Network to get Rob and Chyna canceled, but perhaps the network actually ended her show because of all the negative publicity generated by Rob Kardashian’s rantings about Chyna on his social media.
After all, companies firing individuals for their internet activity is nothing new. For example, CBS legal executive, Hayley Geftman-Gold, was fired this month after she made shockingly insensitive statements on Facebook about the Las Vegas shooting where gunman Stephen Paddock injured hundreds and murdered almost 60 at a country music festival.
“If they wouldn’t do anything when children were murdered I have no hope that Repugs will ever do the right thing. I’m actually not even sympathetic bc country music fans are often republican gun toters,” Geftman-Gold wrote.
CBS stated that Geftman-Gold was terminated for violating the standards of the company, and she is not the only person who has gotten into hot water due to their social media activity. There are numerous cases of people being fired or reprimanded for what they post online, and although it is tricky whether or not employers actually have the right to monitor what their employees say off-hours, employees still should be aware that whatever they say on the internet, even if eventually deleted, lasts forever.
Social Media Can Be Used to Get People Arrested
When Rob Kardashian posted nudes of Blac Chyna without her permission, he also wrote that she was a cheater, making it pretty obvious that hurting her was his intent. That’s textbook “revenge porn,” a felony in California where the estranged couple lives.
Although Blac Chyna has yet to sue Rob for revenge porn, Blac Chyna’s lawyer Lisa Bloom has defended other plaintiffs who were victims of the crime. For instance, Bloom represented Mischa Barton, whose ex threatened to release naked media of her; and she was successful in getting the revenge porn suppressed from publication.
Besides revenge porn, people can use social media to commit crimes such as violating privacy and defamation, or they can use social media to document crimes. For instance, this summer Playmate Dani Mathers pled no contest to body shaming an elderly woman at the gym. Mathers took a photo of the woman without her knowledge while the woman was heading into the shower, and the model posted the photo on Snapchat, joking that if she can’t unsee the body then no one else can. The LAPD promptly began an investigation and Mathers was fired from her job as a radio host and banned from the gym.
Social Media Can Be Used as Evidence
Blac Chyna has submitted social media posts and texts from Rob Kardashian as proof that he has a history of “slut-shaming” and bullying her. In addition to suing his family for hurting her career, she is suing him for abuse, stating that he had pushed her in front of her child and knocked her to the ground.
According to Forbes, Chyna submitted 24 screenshots of her interactions with Rob, including a post where Rob said Chyna had plastic surgery that he had paid for and a social media post where he had shared a private text message where Chyna had called him “fat and lazy.”
Conclusion
Anyone with a computer in this day and age should be careful with what they post online because nothing is ever truly private nor can it ever truly be deleted.
“By keeping up with the Kardashians in this instance, the average person can learn an extremely important social media lesson,” Forbes wrote. “Nothing you post online or in text messages is truly private. Anything you put out there can (and probably will) be used against you in a court of law — even if you’re a Kardashian.”
- Blac Chyna Sues Kardashian Family for Millions
- Blac Chyna Obtains Restraining Order Against Rob Kardashian
- Will Rob Kardashian Be Charged for Revenge Porn?