Women losses disability benefits over Facebook pictures

Nathalie Blanchard said on Monday that she was diagnosed with major depression and, on the advice of her psychiatrist, decided to go for a vacation. She was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits until payments dried up this fall.

Blanchard then called her insurance provider, Manulife and was told her Facebook photos showed she was able to work. Apparently, several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a holiday was enough to prove that Blanchard was no longer depressed, according to her agent.

Her lawyer, Tom Lavin, said Blanchard was wrongfully dismissed from her benefits, and she had the right to go on a sunny vacation.

"The issue for me is that they stopped her disability benefits without the proper medical recommendations. Her doctor recommended she go on vacation," he said.

Manulife declined to comment on the case specifically but has said in a statement that "we would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook."

However, Lavin believes Blanchard's case raises concerns for anyone who expects their private life to remain so if they post personal information to social networking sites such as Facebook.

"It's good warning for people who use Facebook. It's not like being at home and writing in your diary. It's out there for the whole world to see," he said.