Today, a friend told me about this news of a 37 year old Toronto woman who is suing Rogers Communications , a large telecommunication company in Canada, for causing her divorce and losing her job.
According to a TV interview with this woman by CTV, this woman admitted she had a short affair but claimed that Roger’s billing practices revealed her infidelity, leading her husband to leave her. Her husband had the family’s cable and TV bill under his name. She had a cell phone account in her maiden name with the separete bill sent to their home… until her husband called Rogers to add Internet and home phone services and the following month Rogers sent a “global” bill to the home address, including the itemized phone bill for her cellphone. The husband saw several long phone calls to a single phone number, called the number, and a “third party” revealed the affair.
Rogers is being sued for unilaterally terminating her cellular contract and including it in her husband’s account without her knowledge or approval. The law suit is for $600,000. The woman said her husband walked out on her and their two children after the affair came to light, and she lost her job due to non performance because she was upset over the ending of her marriage. In her view, she had a very brief affair, “it was over before it started” and she shouldn’t have to lose every thing over it. Of course, there were numerous comments from visitors who read this news online. Some saying Rogers shouldn’t have done it, while most saying she shouldn’t have had the affair.
By now, it should be clear that there are consequences to every thing we do, whether we are sorry, or not; whether we meant to, or not; whether we come clean, or not. Just ask Tiger Woods and John Edwards. But I wonder, if her husband had seen the phone # by opening up the bill that came to their home, would she be suing her husband for damages to her marriage and job on the grounds of invasion of privacy? How about using that “third person” who let the cat out of the bag? The affair was private and confidential information for sure.
I was told that email, letters, blogs are all evidence that if the court asks for them, companies have to show up with them. Then who do we sue, the court?
It will be interesting to see how this case ends up. I’ll keep you posted. In the mean time, know that if you tell the truth, life is simpler.
Martha Chan is the co-owner and V.P. Marketing of Divorce Marketing Group , Family Lawyer Magazine and Divorce Magazine. She is responsible for all online and offline initiatives of the company. She is married to Dan Couvrette and is a step mother of two sons. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. She can be reached at (866) 803-6667 ex. 136 or marthac@divorcemarketinggroup.com.
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The point here is that Rogers has a long history or playing fast and loose with privacy issues. There have to be consequences for large corporations who act outside of the rights of its members/customers.
As to the affair, people have affairs, then they realize that they love their partner and they made a mistake. Life goes on. She was wrong, yes.
But Rogers was wrong on many different levels that should concern all of us!
Lucky the calls were not recorded or her husband might have written a book and printed her conversations in the local Newspaper too!
I believe that’s where the Camilla tapes started then the Diana story leaked and many other people who thought they were just communicating to each other in complete privacy vis a phone.
Who knew, not Rogers or that would be another business product.
Yes its best to just know you can be traced, watched, and be accountable for your own little secrets, truth or lies. Is there anything sacred?
Oy, when will the cheater take the responsibility for their OWN action? As a child, your parents told you there are consequences to your action – good or bad. The fault lies in yourself and no one else. If your relationship is not working, it is always better to end it and be civil about it than to hurt someone with an affair. TIME TO GROW UP.
I guess we have to find out if Rogers did act unilaterally. My experience has been the other way. Rogers refused to speak to me when I called about our phone, internet or cable until after my husband added my name to the account.
But still, if there had been no infedility, what would the damage have been?