Text Messages Could Play a Huge Role in Your Florida Lawsuit

Have  you ever considered that those text messages you are constantly sending could appear in a future lawsuit against you? Did you know that “cyberbullying” is being taken more and more seriously by the courts? How could a text message that you sent affect your Palm Beach probate lawsuit? How could a text message cause you to lose your Florida inheritance battle? 

A Recent Massachusetts opinion, Commonwealth v. Carter, involves text messages and a conviction of manslaughter. Although this is a criminal case, not a Florida trust and estates lawsuit, it demonstrates just how powerful text messages can be.  Here, Michelle Carter was convicted of manslaughter after persuading her boyfriend, via text, to kill himself. On February 6, 2019, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld the conviction. Specifically, the court concluded that “the evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim’s death by suicide.”

Could your text messages to another be brought in front of a court as evidence? What happens if you text something that is very bad for your Florida lawsuit?  To read the entire opinion, click here. To interview a Florida probate attorney, free of charge, call (561) 514-0900.