Estates and Trusts Commons^™

How Many #Followers Do You Have?: Evaluating The Rise Of Social Media And Issues Concerning In Re Ctli’S Determination That Social Media Accounts Are Property Of The Estate, Patricia A. Leeson

Catholic University Law Review

With the rise of social media use, legal disputes have surfaced with litigants looking to the courts to determine issues of ownership and legal authority. As a matter of first impression, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas held that a Twitter and Facebook social media account were to be regarded as property of the estate pursuant to Section 541 of the Bankruptcy Code. The court analogized the social media accounts to subscriber lists because they provide valuable access to customers. Although the court addressed the question of whether social media applications are to be regarded as property in bankruptcy proceedings, …