When a verdict is reached in a lawsuit, it’s not uncommon for both parties to sign a confidentiality agreement stating neither side can discuss details of the case (or, in some cases, even the terms of the settlement). Well, one way to break that agreement is to hop on Facebook and brag about how Daddy’s $80,000 payout from his discrimination suit is going to pay for your European vacation. From Yahoo:
According to the Miami Herald, Patrick Snay, 69, was the headmaster at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami for several years, but in 2010, the school didn’t renew his contract. Snay sued his former employer for age discrimination and won a settlement of $80,000 in November 2011. The agreement contained a standard confidentiality clause, prohibiting Snay or the school from talking about the case.
However, Snay’s daughter, Dana, now at Boston College and a part-time Starbucks barista, couldn’t resist bragging about the case on Facebook. “Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver,” she wrote. “Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT.”
Unfortunately for Dana, she has 1,200 friends on Facebook, many of whom still attend Gulliver. And, because it’s the Internet, her brag post reached the school’s administrators, who unleashed their lawyers for an immediate appeal on the verdict. The Third District Court of Appeal agreed that Dana’s post violated the terms of the agreement, and rescinded the $80,000 award. Patrick plans to file a motion and appeal the new verdict, but for now, it appears Dana’s European vacation is on hold — perhaps permanently.
[Yahoo]
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