Legal Question in Technology Law in Washington

Posting of Received Email to Internet Website

We're a small non-profit professional association. One of our retired members is disgruntled over not being provided information he requested. Our Board of Dir. supported delian lf the request. This person's on-going communication, demanding and often boardering on abusive, culminated in the board inviting him to provide a written statement. He accepted and his statement wad read at our Feb. Board meeting. in the statement, he stated expectations that the text would be entered into the minutes and become a part of assoc. permanent records. As minutes were published, it was recommended that the statement be made avaqilable as an Acrobat download from our website but that it would also be accompanied by all available communication related to the statement. The disgruntled retired member is now saying we have violated his privacy and caused him embarrassment by posting his messages to the Internet, making them publicly available. NONE of the messages included and sort of disclaimer stating they were confidential, personal, private, etc. Are we on solid legal ground with having made the package of emails to and from him publicly available?


Asked on 6/12/06, 12:11 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lawrence Graves Coolidge & Graves PLLC

Re: Posting of Received Email to Internet Website

The posting of the statement should not create liability for the association if minutes and the like are routinely posted and accessible on the Internet. However, if the retired member is so vexed by the posting, it might be best to remove it absent a compelling reason for the association to have it available online. Even if you are in the right and would prevail in litigation, it would be a fruitless waste of resources to become so enmeshed.

Best wishes,

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LDWG

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Answered on 6/12/06, 12:46 pm


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