Question

Monica meets a colleague from another firm, Kate, for lunch, and discovers that a former seller client, Reuben, is now Kate's buyer customer. Monica tells Kate, "You know Reuben inherited a bunch of money right before he sold his house, right?" Which of these statements is true?

a) This is a breach of confidentiality because confidentiality survives forever.

b) This is a breach of confidentiality because the information impacts Reuben's negotiating ability with the seller.

c) This isn't a breach of confidentiality because Reuben is no longer Monica's client.

d) This isn't a breach of confidentiality because the information shared doesn't negatively impact the client.

Answer 1

The correct answer is c) This isn't a breach of confidentiality because Reuben is no longer Monica's client.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is c) This isn't a breach of confidentiality because Reuben is no longer Monica's client.

Confidentiality is an important aspect of the client-professional relationship. However, in this scenario, Reuben is no longer Monica's client as he has become Kate's buyer customer. As a result, Monica is free to share information about Reuben with Kate since the confidentiality obligation ends once the professional relationship is terminated.

Therefore, Monica's statement does not violate any confidentiality rules in this situation because Reuben is no longer her client, which makes option c) the correct answer.