"Hell on earth" was how California computer animator Eric Sedie described his life following an accident with a United States Postal Service truck in 2006. In his personal injury lawsuit, Sedie sought $2.5 million, claiming that he could no longer take part in activities he used to enjoy, such as painting or certain outdoor activities.

Issuing her ruling on Sedie's case last week, US Magistrate Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte voiced doubt in regards to Sedie's disability claims. One of the things she cited was a post from Sedie's MySpace page in which he complained about his arm hairs being caught in paint while painting. This was posted in June 2007, well after Sedie was involved in an accident with the USPS truck.

It seems like a minor point. However, since Sedie claimed that he could no longer enjoy things such as painting, the post more or less sunk his claim. Though he claimed the post had been a joke, the court failed to see the humor and awarded him just under $300,000 - less than 20 percent of the amount he had asked for.

What's the lesson here?

In short, be careful what you post online - especially if you are involved in a personal injury lawsuit or any other sort of case where certain information could be used against you. This might be a car accident case or it might be a child custody case.

In the digital age, what you share and where you share it can be very important to the success of your court case. Letting off steam on Facebook or joking around on Twitter aren't so harmless after all, and if you think it is just your friends reading, think again.

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