Facebook Spying Lawyers Can Be Charged

Two defense attorneys accused of snooping on the private Facebook account of a plaintiff suing their client can be prosecuted for misconduct, New Jersey’s highest court ruled. A regional disciplinary body dropped the case, but the director of the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics disagreed and filed a complaint, accusing the lawyers of communicating with a represented party without proper consent, and engaging in conduct “involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.” The New Jersey Supreme Court chose to consider whether the head of the state’s attorney disciplinary body could prosecute the lawyers for Facebook spying. The lawyers said they were unfamiliar with Facebook’s privacy settings.