Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Virginia
Posting people's emails and phone numbers
I serve on my neighborhood homeowner's association board. A disgruntled homeowner is writing a letter to the editor and is going to include my name, phone number, and email address. My phone number can be found in the phone book, and the email address can be found on one of the association's web pages. Does he have a right to have my phone number and email address published?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Posting people's emails and phone numbers
If readers of the newspaper could find your phone number and/or email address some other way, then the letter-writer probably cannot be prevented from publishing them. This is a balance between free speech and other interests and the law tries to find a balance. You would be asking for a restraint on free speech. Now it is possible that the newspaper may have its own private policy about things like phone numbers and email addresses. You might persuade the newspaper to not print them as a matter of policy, not law, especially if this is your home number instead of the HOA business phone number.
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