Q: When an incident occurs, is it legal for landlords to give out specific apartment numbers of incident to other tenants?
For example, if a crime/incident occurred in my apartment and the landlord sent out its usual message to the other tenants/ my neighbors is it legal for them to include specifics like my exact apartment number rather than giving general info that the incident occurred on this certain floor? Does that not leave my apartment exposed to more harm ? Even if the email was only sent out to other residents ?
A: There is no law that prohibits the dissemination of public information. There is a Constitutional right under the First Amendment that specifically protects the right to free speech, which would include disseminating truthful information to others. You have identified no private legally protected information (like your Social Security Number, credit card account numbers, etc.) that would have specific legal protections. The management company has the same rights as a journalist or any other person to freely speak and distribute the "news". However, you could put your concerns in writing to the management company, and point out that you feel exposed and in physical jeopardy and open to potential harm or ridicule on a matter that has yet to be proven true or finally determined in the courts, and to cease such specific dissemination to others in the community. This may have no legal force behind it, but it will put them on notice that you may hold them liable for creating a risk of danger or defamation of your character in the event they make reckless statements that puts you or your reputation at risk. If a lawyer send that letter, they may take it more seriously.
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