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Can I sue this lawyer?

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nbower14

Junior Member
I live in Colorado and a lawyer got my social security number, address, phone number, date of birth, and full name for me and my two children that are only 5 and 6 and gave that information to a suspect in a case that I signed a statement against. Can I sue this lawyer and if I can what kind of lawyer do I need to get?
 


quincy

Senior Member
Except for the fact that anyone can sue anyone else for pretty much any reason at all and, in that respect, yes, you can sue this lawyer who obtained information about you and your children and then provided this information to the person you filed a complaint against, the odds are pretty good that you do not have any legal action you can pursue against the lawyer that has merit or would have any chance of success. (sorry about that long confusing sentence)

Does this lawyer represent the man whom you filed the complaint against? Are your children central figures in the complaint that was filed?

Your social security number is private information and would normally not be disclosed under circumstances such as the one you describe. Your name, birth date, address and phone number are normally considered public information and could be shared with others, unless your complaint is of a confidential nature (ie, you are a rape victim and information about you is not being disclosed by the police). Your children's names are public information but, again, their identities might not be shared if they are crime victims. It would (generally) not be illegal to do so, however, and, if the attorney is working on a defense for the man, both he and the man will be entitled to all information gathered that will be used against this attorney's client.

Would you care to share more details about your situation, without revealing any personal data?
 
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nbower14

Junior Member
yes

Yes this lawyer is representing the person I signed a statement against and I'm not sure why the lawyer would give the person I signed a complaint against my social security number and yes the lawyer gave the suspect my children's social security numbers as well
 

nbower14

Junior Member
The person I signed a statement against was my neighbor she had vandalized someone else's vehical and told me about it and the military police (I live on a military post my husband is military) had me sign a statement from what she told me had happened well she admitted it in court and then she asked for a copy of her case and my children's as well as mine ssn were in there and my kids had nothing to do with it there only 5 and 6 but the military police said she should have never got that information and her lawyer should have blackened that information out but the lawyer did not.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Ah.

You are right that the lawyer should not have provided the neighbor with your social security number or the social security numbers of your children - but the lawyer should not have been given reports with the numbers in them in the first place. The police should have blacked out the personal identifying information from the reports before handing them over to the lawyer.

I am not sure there is anything to be gained by pursuing a legal action, even though identity theft could be a potential future concern. I hope your neighbor decides to confine her criminal acts to the single act of car vandalism.
 
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nbower14

Junior Member
yes

At this point I don't know who to go after it's not that I'm looking for money I just want to get my point across what has happened but I'm not sure what kind of lawyer I would need because the damage is already done my neighbor has had this information for about a month and I'm just going to have to hope for the best that my children's identity don't get stolen :/
 

justalayman

Senior Member
if you aren't looking for money, just what would you expect a court to do for you? They don't have one of those neuralizers like they do on Men In Black to make them forget the social security numbers.
 

quincy

Senior Member
I don't see that you need a lawyer at all. You could on your own, however, file a complaint with the military police, and you could file a complaint with the Colorado Bar Association, and it might be nice to think that, by filing the complaints, it will make a difference in how confidential material is handled in the future.

You might want to file an identity theft report with the police (pointing to the police and their disclosure of your social security numbers as the reason for the need for the report), and you might want to post identity theft alerts on your credit reports with the three major credit reporting agencies, and you might want to monitor your credit reports for at least awhile, to make sure your social security number has not been used to obtain loans or credit - but you are right that the damage has already been done and the best you can probably do is to try and mitigate any harm.


(neuralizers was going to be my next suggestion, justalayman - you mean they don't really exist?????)
 
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nbower14

Junior Member
mmmm

I just want to prove a point that what has happened was wrong and the lawyer should lose her license to practice because obviously she should have known she couldn't give that info out. If I could sue I would prolly pay more for a lawyer than what I would win
 

quincy

Senior Member
I just want to prove a point that what has happened was wrong and the lawyer should lose her license to practice because obviously she should have known she couldn't give that info out. If I could sue I would prolly pay more for a lawyer than what I would win
The lawyer will not be disbarred. No license is going to be lost. There is no money to be won.

The only legal action you may have would be in the future IF the neighbor decides to use the social security numbers for some nefarious purpose. I doubt this will happen (unless you happen to have an unusual neighbor - most people aren't bad).
 
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