Canadian woman fights insurance giant after benefits cut over Facebook photos
By APSunday, November 22, 2009
Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo
MONTREAL — A Canadian woman on sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits after her insurance agent found photos of her apparently having fun on Facebook.
Nathalie Blanchard said Monday she was diagnosed with major depression and was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits until payments dried up this fall.
When Blanchard called her insurance provider, Manulife, to find out why she says she was told the Facebook photos showed she was able to work.
“If you have insurance, be careful. This is a major battle and it’s not going to be easy,” Blanchard, 29, said in a telephone interview from her home in Bromont Quebec.
She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday.
Blanchard said Manulife told her it was evidence she is no longer depressed.
Her lawyer, Tom Lavin, said Blanchard was wrongfully dismissed from her benefits, and she had the right to go on holiday.
“The issue for me is that they stopped her disability benefits without the proper medical recommendations. Her doctor recommended she go on vacation,” he said.
Blanchard said she took three four-day trips when she was feeling especially low, on her psychiatrist’s advice.
Manulife declined to comment on the case specifically but has said in a statement that “we would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook.”
Still, Lavin said the issue raises concerns for anyone who expects their private life to remain so if they post personal information to social networking sites such as Facebook.
“It’s good warning for people who use Facebook. It’s not like being at home and writing in your diary. It’s out there for the whole word to see,” he said.
Blanchard’s case will be before Quebec Superior Court Dec. 8.
Tags: Bromont, Canada, Montreal, North America, Quebec
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November 24, 2009: 5:51 am
I’ve read several news articles and researched for additional details before coming to a conclusion. I’m sorry to say this, but it sounds like to me that this woman is just lazy. Anyone who really had a depression [or other mental] problem would NOT be posting photos on facebook, much less continuing to post photos on facebook. This whole “I have a depression problem” is just one that ANYONE can fake. Now as for the argument of how facebook profiles should have been locked and private… there is NO such thing as keeping things “safe” and locked on the net. ANYTHING that gets posted or sent [yes that includes EMAIL] through the net STAYS on the net. I’ve known this simple FACT for years. As for the insurance company being “in the wrong” to snoop and discontinue her benefits… I’m sorry, but they have every right to know if someone is handing them a line a sh!t just to get free money out of the deal. There ARE people out there who REALLY do need and deserve to have health insurance, but don’t get it because of individuals like this woman who make it bad for everyone else. I commend the insurance company for buckling down and I wish that other leeching individuals would get caught and cut off too. Bottom line: it doesn’t pay to be a thief, liar, lazy, money moocher. Let this be a lesson for anyone who thinks it’s ok to suck on the system while others pay their hard earned money for it. IBM would be wise to not allow the woman to come back to the job. Instead, they should tell her to take a hike, as this story I’m sure will have some sort of bad reflection on the corporation. If this woman is capable of going to a beach weekly and capable of going to night clubs to see male dancers, then she’s most certainly capable of working a normal job like a normal human being. Don’t feel sorry for con artists. They’re good at sucking people dry of their money. |
 Kat |
November 23, 2009: 3:41 pm
I don’t think it is fair that companies, especially insurance agencies, can look up their employees/clients and deny them their jobs/benefits through a social networking website. But, that’s just where our world is going to these days. As our lives merge more each day into the digital realm, it’s important for people to realize the consequences before they make their actions. I think she should have realized ahead of time that everything she posts on Facebook can be seen by everyone. No matter how private you try to make your profile, people can still have access to it. It’s not ethical at all, but I don’t see companies stopping their actions any time soon; I believe it could possibly get worse. |
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November 22, 2009: 10:16 pm
I want to know how an insurance company could have gotten access to those photos without committing fraud. Facebook really needs to sue the insurance company or they could lose a lot of members. |
 jo'el |
November 22, 2009: 5:48 am
this one is easy….get yo ass back to work woman. We all got problems and we all got to work through them. you got some nerve to exploit the people who were nice enough to hire you!! GET YO ASS BACK TO WORK!!! |
lofa