If you are suing a company can the companies attorney hack your email and credit card info?

[curouis]

I'm suing my former employer for assult. My attorney told me to be careful on what I post on the Internet. He told me that if I travel it won't look good for my case.

This means I have to be very careful on what I put on my credit card, who I email and what I post on ya.

Should I be worried?

This is in the united states.

[Animeland Contessa]

No need to be worried. It makes you look bad if you travel because it looks like you have something to hide or you're running from something.

You also need to be careful of what you post on the internet because if you post something about the case in general like you're talking about it and your employer finds it, they can use it in court against you if you say something that could help their case. So don't even talk about it. Don't post blogs, don't tell anyone what happened. Things like that. Just don't do them over the internet or through text messaging.

You can still use your credit card and things like that, you just need to be careful with who you're talking to and what you're talking to them about until the case is done.

I'm sure a company could hack your info, but I don't really see the point in them doing that. It would only get them into more trouble. Especially if they pulled up your files from hacking them and then presented them in court.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just don't say anything that will help them and get you into trouble.

[My Take on It]

They won't need to hack it, all their attorneys would need to do is subpoena whatever records they want to use to prove their case.

Hacking is illegal anyways.

[R T]

There is no need to hack. The Internet is a public space.

Many, many people have been embarrassed by things they put on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Answers, personal web pages, etc. Those are all available to the public, and are somewhat out of your control. Potential employers are now researching people on these social networking tools, too. Once something goes on the Internet, it's impossible to erase all copies.

Work e-mail is already under the control of your employer. He's paying for it so he can look at it. That's an established legal principal. The same is true for personal information on company computers. You may be using your personal e-mail, but if you are doing it at work on a company owned machine or a company owned Internet connection then the employer can look at it. The same is true of your locker, your desk, your file cabinet, etc. The employer owns the equipment, right? If you don't want the employer looking at it, don't use his stuff. You should have no expectation of privacy at work (except in the bathroom).

They would need a subpoena to look at your personal e-mail. They could get one if they found a sympathetic judge. One training class I took taught the "New York Times Rule". If you wouldn't want your e-mail to appear as is on the front page of the NY Times, then edit it or don't send it. Good advice even if you are not in a lawsuit; in this world, you may be sued at a future time and then all of this could be seen.

Credit records are also available to anyone who has a subscription to the credit bureaus. Again, this is out of your control. There is no need to hack, just do a credit check as they would if they were giving you a loan. People look at your credit info all the time without your knowledge and consent. Where do you think all the prepaid credit offers come from?