The First Lawsuit Has Been Served via Twitter

It’s hard to remember a time before Facebook dominated the Internet, but even still it caused major waves when estranged spouses began receiving permission from judges to serve their divorces via Facebook Messenger. Now Twitter, a much newer site and most infamously known for the platform utilized for rantings by presidential candidate Donald Trump, has been approved as an appropriate venue to serve a lawsuit.

The Changing Nature of Social Media

Facebook and Twitter began as sites for college students interested in alternative ways of communicating and sharing their thoughts, but both platforms have transformed into cornerstones of society. Middle schoolers and senior citizens alike are on Facebook now, and Twitter hashtags unite people across the world who are talking about the same thing. This predominance of social media means that most people can be found on Facebook and Twitter even when their current address or phone number cannot be uncovered.

St. Francis of Assisi Sues ISIS Enablers

St. Francis of Assisi is a non-profit that has been prosecuting a lawsuit on behalf of the families of Assyrian Christians who were murdered and/or had their property destroyed as a result of ISIS activities in the Middle East. In particular, St. Francis is suing Kuwait Finance House, Kuveyt-Turk Participation Bank, Inc., and a man named Hajjaj al-Ajmi. All parties are accused of financing terrorist groups, but until now al-Ajmi has been difficult to track down and serve.

In order to deliver service of process, St. Francis requested that the federal court permit service to al-Ajmi’s active Twitter account. US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler represented the affirmative ruling by explaining, “The court grants St. Francis’s request because service via Twitter is reasonably calculated to give notice and is not prohibited by international law.”

Service via social media is still an exception to the rule of traditional delivery, but this federal decision indicates the growing willingness of the judicial system to work within the bounds of the Internet.