McLeod Law LLP (Alberta, Canada) attorney Simon Muller was recently quoted in several articles pertaining to a new technology, called the Fitbit, and how “A law firm in Calgary is working on the first known personal injury case that will use activity data from a Fitbit to help show the effects of an accident on their client.”
The story has received significant press, not only in Canada but internationally. The Forbes article has been syndicated nearly 1,000 times across various outlets, and viewed over 10,000 on Forbes.com. In total, the news has generated over 1,700 pieces of coverage.
Below are links to the various articles.
Fitbit Data Now Being Used In The Courtroom
http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/11/16/fitbit-data-court-room-personal-injury-claim/
"The lawyers aren’t using Fitbit’s data directly, but pumping it through analytics platform Vivametrica, which uses public research to compare a person’s activity data with that of the general population.” -Forbes
Fitbit Data is Now Being Used in COURT: Wearable Technology is Set to Revolutionise Personal Injury and Accident Claims
"Analytics firm Vivametrica has launched a service that involves the use of a wearable fitness device in personal injury litigation, in order to count steps taken by a victim and formulate a quantitative representation of the claimant's activity during their normal weekly routine.” -Mail Online
Fitbit Data Used in Court For First Time
http://www.itproportal.com/2014/11/17/fitbit-data-used-court-first-time/
“However, activities vary from person to person, and it’s very hard to use this data in court. That’s why the lawyers won’t use the data directly. They will feed the data to analytics platform Vivametrica, which uses public research to compare a person’s activity data with that of the general population.” -IT Pro Portal
CSI Wearable Tech: Fitbit Data Used in Court for First Time
http://www.wareable.com/wearable-tech/csi-wearable-tech-fitbit-data-used-in-court-for-first-time-482
"The court isn’t focusing on simple data downloaded from the app – the plaintiff will be sharing months worth of data with analysis agency Vivametrica. The move is likely to increase the scrutiny on wearable data, which could have unintended consequences for the future, especially as the number of sensors on wearables increase.” -Wareable Tech
How mHealth is Helping Personal Injury Lawyers
http://www.mhealthnews.com/blog/how-mhealth-helping-personal-injury-lawyers
"Vivametrica has been making news of late with a platform that pulls in and analyzes information from various mHealth devices. With Functional Activity Assessment, the company has modified an application to suit a lawyer's needs, including an initial assessment of a user's activity profile, a standardized baseline comparison against valid population data, verification of the results by healthcare professionals, and an ongoing assessment of a user's physical activity.’” -mHealthNews
Could wearable tech change the way personal injury claims are assessed?
"Vivametrica, a Canadian company that uses a device-agnostic platform to collect and analyze activity data for healthcare providers and employers, launched a new service for personal injury lawyers. Quantified data from the platform compares the client’s steps per day against normal population data, to help lawyers assess clients and determine whether to take them on." -MobiHealthNews
Move Over DNA, Your Wearable Data Could Soon Be Used in the Courtroom
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239869
"Simon Muller, the head of McLeod's personal injury practice group, told Forbes that they will be using the data, to demonstrate that due to the accident, her activity levels are now below the baseline of "someone of her age and profession." The firm plans on using an analytics program called Vivametrica over a period of several months to process and analyze the Fitbit data." -Entrepreneur
Zo klein is de stap van een slim fitnessbandje naar een verzekeringsdispuut
"For the first time on this planet personal health data that comes from a Fitbit, a popular 'wearable' for athletes, are used in a lawsuit. The data to support the claims of a Canadian woman who four years after an accident still experience health problems. That says Forbes." -DeMorgen
