Facebook photos cost IBM employee health insurance
Woman claims benefits stopped after social network post
By Computerworld Hong Kong staff | Computerworld Hong Kong | Published: 10:00, 24 November 2009
An IBM employee who's on long term sick leave was quoted in media reports as saying that she lost her long term disability benefits because of photos she posted on Facebook. According to a report by Canadian Press Sunday, Nathalie Blanchard said an insurance agent told her that the long term disability cheques were terminated after photos of her Facebook grabbed the Manulife's attention.
The report said the woman, 29, has been on leave since 2008 from her job at IBM because of severe depression.
"We would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on websites such as Facebook," Manulife was quoted as saying in a statement.
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Blanchard was quoted as saying that she doesn't regret the photos posted and it was poor form for the insurance company to diagnose her depression as being cured using the photographs. The report quotes her as saying that she also has no issue with the photos allegedly used against her, including ones showing her at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a beach holiday.
"I'm not going to put pictures of myself crying on Facebook," Blanchard was quoted as saying in the report.
Her lawyer, Tom Lavin, was quoted as saying in the report that a civil suit was filed in Quebec Superior Court on Friday. According to the report, he said Manulife's actions are totally inappropriate and is seeking $275,000 (£160,000) for his client.
