Understanding that you have the legal right to be left alone can grant you a sense of relief at a time when you feel like your privacy has been violated.
It’s truly an unfortunate situation to be in. However, you can rest easy knowing that there’s a multitude of legal precedents to different types of violations of privacy. You have a legal claim to stop the harm being inflicted upon you.
Keep on reading for our full breakdown of the top four steps you need to take when a violation of privacy occurs.
The Basics of Violation of Privacy
In the simplest of terms, when someone violates your privacy, you have a legal claim to stop the abuse.
In order to file that claim, there are a couple of things you need to do. They’ll include gathering evidence of the invasion, notifying the defendant to stop their actions, as well as file a lawsuit with the help of a lawyer.
These following steps are the critical landmarks you need to pass before getting a lawyer on board.
1. Identifying the Violations
The very first step would be identifying all possible violations that have occurred. Basically, it’s categorizing these incidents and checking whether they can be taken to a court of law.
Generally speaking, there are four different ways the defendant could have invaded your privacy.
- Intrudes on your solitude: This is the case when someone spies on you in your home or intercepts your communications.
- Name or physical likeness that has been appropriated: If someone uses your name or likeness without your say-so. For instance, if someone decided to impersonate you to get access to information, then they’ve invaded your privacy.
- Disclosing private facts: This one is a bit tricky to establish. However, if someone shares critically-sensitive information about you, like your medical history or your sexual orientation, then you could claim a violation.
- False light presentation: If you’re represented in a false light, you can easily claim a violation of privacy.
After taking a quick look at the four categories of privacy violations, you might be able to estimate which one would suit your case best.
2. Document All Details of the Invasion
This is the step where you write down everything about the invasion incident. From the time, date, and place of the incident to all the facts pertaining to the case, you’ll need to write it all down.
In addition, if it looks like a case where someone published private information about you, then make sure to note where and when this information is published, and whether the general public can access it.
This applies to sex tap leaks as the one Eurweb reported on here.
3. Grab All Witness Information
Getting all the witness information you could possibly get your hands on can do nothing but help your case.
This information should include, at least, their name and contact information. You can also add summaries of what they’ve seen. The ideal scenario would be having them write their own statements and signing them.
4. Gather All Medical Expense Records
If you happened to get a doctor’s visit or go see a therapist in order to navigate the emotional cesspool of having your privacy invaded, make sure you keep these receipts on hand.
Depending on your state laws, you might even get compensated for different types of harm which can include mental stress, economic harm, as well as punitive damages.
Ready to Reclaim Your Life?
No doubt any sort of violation of privacy would leave a bitter taste in anyone’s mouth.
However, with our four tips on hand, you should have a solid starting point to get some sort of compensation, as well as stopping the violation itself.
If you’re still a bit hesitant about the details, you can take a look at our health and wellness section for additional content and tips on how to take care of yourself.
