Prof. Kirtley Comments on Impact of Social Media in Child Custody Dispute

Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted in an Associated Press story about a North Carolina child custody dispute which has attracted international attention on Twitter and Facebook after the mother claimed on her blog that she was denied custody because she has cancer. However, the judge's ruling indicates that the case is more complex than the social media "buzz" suggests. Kirtley warned that the publicity is a harbinger of things to come as litigants become more savvy in the use of social media. "I'm a little bit astonished at the naivete" of those using social media, she said. "People assume that everything posted there is true."