Original Blog Entry: Woman loses insurance benefits over Facebook photos

truesee — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:08:25 GMT

Nathalie Blanchard loses benefits over Facebook beach photos

Soraya Roberts

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, November 22nd 2009, 12:01 PM

Nathalie Blanchard lost Manulife benefits when she posted this and other photos of herself on Facebook.

Faking sick usually means avoiding public places. These days that includes the Internet.

A Quebec woman on long-term sick leave lost her benefits after she posted Facebook photos of herself frolicking on a beach.

CBC reports that a year and a half ago Nathalie Blanchard was diagnosed with depression and granted leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Que.

The Manulife insurance company had been sending her monthly sick-leave benefits, but ceased payment when they found Blanchard s photos on the social networking site.

Manulife reportedly said the pictures Blanchard posted to her private Facebook account prove she is no longer depressed. One showed her having fun at a Chippendales show, another at her birthday party and a third on a beach holiday.

Blanchard says she had told Manulife about the trip and that the pictures do not prove that her overall mood has improved.

In the moment I'm happy, but before and after I have the same problems, she explains, adding that her doctors had advised her to have fun in order to forget her worries.

Blanchard's lawyer, Tom Lavin, requested a new psychiatric evaluation of his client, but thinks Manulife's investigation was inappropriate.

I don't think for judging a mental state that Facebook is a very good tool, he said.

Manulife confirmed to CBC that it uses Facebook to investigate clients, but said they would not withdraw benefits simply based on that site.

We would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on websites such as Facebook, they said.

Blanchard estimates that the Facebook debacle has cost her thousands of dollars in benefits.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/11/22/2009-11-22_nathalie_blanchard_loses_benefits_over_facebook_beach_photos.html#ixzz0XlUJ83Ok

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