CYA

MichaelB

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Site Team
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
40,748
Location
Chicagoland
I understand why someone would want to include a CYA comment when answering a post asking for advice. It's hard to believe one could get into trouble - especially when posts are anonymous - but our culture is one of victims, blame and compensation, and doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Because all posters must register, couldn't there be a general CYA on registration - and wouldn't that be enough?

Just wondering...

Michael
 
The answer is above my pay-grade - sorry.

-ERD50
 
One of our resident attorney types will no doubt be along soon to enlighten.

It's shame that we live in a society in which judges and juries can't/won't look at a plaintiff and say:
You listened to an anonymous person on the internet who gave you free advice, and then you acted solely on that advice rather than seeking out any credible source of information, and now you want us to make you whole because the anonymous guy led you astray.

We agree with your complaint. We'll have him email you a jpeg of some money, because that'll be worth as much as his advice was and exactly what you deserve.
 
We agree with your complaint. We'll have him email you a jpeg of some money, because that'll be worth as much as his advice was and exactly what you deserve.
:LOL::LOL:
 
From the Community Rules:

Do your own due diligence!
People who are professionals in a variety of fields post on this forum and share their general knowledge. Many of them are brilliant. Some are doofi.
Information obtained from professionals (or from anyone for that matter) who are participants in this forum should be not be relied on when making important life decisions. Their posts are not intended to be professional advice. Their posts may not be accurate, applicable or complete for your own unique situation.
 
I know that I tend to double CYA. It is the lawyer in me. Dory and I wrote the language above in the community rules. "Doofi" was his contribution. :)
 
The stories may be questionable and most are old, but in my field, there are quite a few anecdotes about suits brought against radio medical advice shows, columnists, and health writers. The more explicitly you disclaim everything the less likely the doofi will get you, or so it goes.

May or may not be true. Cost of the disclaimer: $.00. I also try to keep my responses general rather than telling someone what I think they should do. But I enjoy being helpful and keeping the content as accurate as I can. Many colleagues simply won't talk shop on the web in any form. Maybe they're right.
 
Some people will sue over the goofiest things. I was on a jury listening to the case of a woman who admittedly climbed over a construction barrier and crossed a broken up set of stairs to avoid a 30 yard detour at her apartment complex. She tripped and aggravated an existing bunion on her foot and chose to sue the landlord. Her doofus lawyer uttered the term "insurance" and a mistrial was called. The landlord's attorneys polled the jurors to see what we thought so far. About half of them were leaning toward at least covering her medical expenses since she did hurt herself. I told them I would refuse to give her one thin dime and if possible would propose that the judge award attorneys fees to the defense and compensation for us for being bothered with such a frivolous claim. That's the category that a claim against posters in an anonymous internet forum falls in.
 
Lawsuits by inmates are sources of hilarity. Usually handwritten in print that is so small you need a magnifying glass to make it out, they are so full of arcane language that even the average lawyer can't understand it, and they make reference to a million conflicting precedents including the Magna Carta.

I was sued once for being too nice. Really, I got the guy to give a written confession to half a dozen felonies by such horrible tactics as buying him a couple of cokes and letting him smoke some of my cigarettes. He claimed that this evil tactic on my part was deceptive and violated three-quarters of the Bill of Rights. It was over 100 pages of micro-writing that actually quoted Lincoln, the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, and something he claimed came from ancient Sumeria that nobody ever heard of. An inmate with too much time on his hands, armed with a pencil and daily visits to the prison law library can produce hilarious results.

Society has a lot of people who are never responsible for their own actions. It's always the fault of someone else.
 
Also, you're not as anonymous as you think you are.
 
I have one because its obvious. Plus, although I carry E&O insurance, I don't think the Internet is covered..........:)

If one on here was sued, the court could sue for records of that individual's posts, etc, and the admin team would have to comply,right Martha?? :)
 
If one on here was sued, the court could sue for records of that individual's posts, etc, and the admin team would have to comply,right Martha?? :)

Why wait for discovery to get records of someone's posts? They are publicly available on here, easily extracted, and unable to be modified by the poster after six hours. Yet another reason for CYA. What you say here is recorded in perpetuity after six hours. Certainly affects what I would be willing to say and post, regardless of a CYA disclaimer.
 
Why wait for discovery to get records of someone's posts? They are publicly available on here, easily extracted, and unable to be modified by the poster after six hours. Yet another reason for CYA. What you say here is recorded in perpetuity after six hours. Certainly affects what I would be willing to say and post, regardless of a CYA disclaimer.

A disclaimer is standard operating procedure for someone like me. I have it on my e-mail signature for business and home email addresses, etc. I have been doing this for 11 years, it is a force of habit.
 
Back
Top Bottom