Defending Photo Timelines when Plaintiff’s Counsel Objects

Key Takeaway: There are many ways to prove photographic timelines without a date stamp in the photo metadata.

Background: This week an adjuster wrote in to say that Plaintiff’s Counsel had declared all the photo evidence from Social Media was taken “years ago” and therefore not admissible.

Their argument is based on the common knowledge that Facebook strips the photo metadata from all photos as they are uploaded. This means there is no native data on the photos to refer to for authentication.

However, we have developed ways to build a timeline inherent to the magnitude of online content available about most claimants. We  track items that tend to change about people over time, such as weight, hair length/loss, glasses frame styles and so on, and then measure these items against publicly recorded/dated items such as concert dates (if photos are taken at a concert) or marriage dates (if photos are posted from a wedding, even if the claimant is just attending the wedding).

We receive excellent timeline information based on wedding anniversary and birthday posts.

Show chronology using hair/beard color, hair style, and glasses frames

The next time plaintiff counsel objects to social media content, please request a timeline document from us to show how we established date context and the general relevance of the content developed about your claimant.