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Watch what you say... Twitter user sued for $50,000 in real estate libel suit.

By
Education & Training with HD Realty BK662006

$357 per character.  That's $50,000 divided by the 140 characters that Twitter.com allows in a tweet.

Amanda Bonnen is being sued by Horizon Realty Group in Chicago over a tweet that she posted about living in a moldy apartment.

Here's my one piece of advice.  Don't put it on your twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or any other page if you wouldn't want it in public records or used against you in a court case.  Even if you go back and remove it later, there are still archives.  In this case, in reading her other posts on the archive, she sounds like someone that just needs to complain about everything, and even if her gripe IS true, she'll be made out to the jury and judge as a troublemaker that can't ever be satisfied.

Be careful what you tweet, it may just come back and peck you!

Here's the first article

Here's the second article

Candice A. Donofrio
Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker - Fort Mohave, AZ
928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text

I was just in Twitter reading about this! Crazy stuff . . . the real estate company shoulda let the poster's nonsense be what it was--a bitchfest. They will waste money and resources trying to defend their name against a nobody. Bad move Horizon Realty . . .

Jul 28, 2009 12:43 PM
Heather the Realtor Orlando, Lake Mary
LemonTree Realty - Orlando, FL
First Time Home Buyers, Bank Owned Homes

I have been wanting to say something about a certain community but bite my tongue because of all this stuff that is going on in social media.

Jul 28, 2009 01:31 PM
TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN
Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

H-m-m-m. Sue first ask questions later kind of company seems to say a lot even if it it tongue-in-cheek...

Jul 28, 2009 01:32 PM
Amy Jones Group
South East Valley - www.AmyJonesGroup.com - Chandler, AZ
4 Time BEST OF OUR VALLEY Winner

Doesn't matter where you post a rant...it will haunt you forever. 

Jul 28, 2009 01:50 PM
Bob & Carolin Benjamin
Benjamin Realty LLC - Gold Canyon, AZ
East Phoenix Arizona Homes

Excellent advice -- never know when bad things said will come back to haunt the person saying them .

Jul 28, 2009 03:36 PM
Rob Arnold
Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. - Altamonte Springs, FL
Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F

Yep.  Anything you post on the internet is pretty much out there permanently.  It seems like every couple of weeks you hear about some dumb teenager that posts some inappropriate photo on their MySpace or Facebook page.  Filing a $50K lawsuit seems a little extreme though. All brokers need to develop a social media policy for their sales assosciates.

Jul 29, 2009 02:23 AM
Dan Quinn
The Eric Steart Group of Long & Foster Real Estate - Silver Spring, MD
Dan Quinn

Good heads up for all of us.  It used to be that people talked about you "behind your back", of course now they rant online for the whole world to hear it.  Be careful, bite your tongue and maybe even keep yourself out of a nasty lawsuit.

Aug 21, 2009 01:42 AM
Naomi Trower
Naomi Trower, Real Estate Broker, Premier Equity Group, Inc. - Santa Clarita, CA

Yes very good tip. I thought it was even more interesting that Horizon Realty was trying hard to clean up their image when they commented, "Sue first, ask questions later." Wow, talk about be careful what you say!

Aug 21, 2009 07:31 AM
Sonja Adams
Keller Williams Realty - Purcellville, VA

Thats kinda scary to hear....gotta watch everything you write and say...

Aug 26, 2009 04:57 AM