Can police issue a search warrant for my email account?
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Police can obtain a search warrant if they have reasonable suspicion of a crime occurring and a judge signs off on the warrant.
In reality, even deleted accounts can be retrieved. Google retains information for all accounts, so whoever issues a warrant to Google can access that information.
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I received an email from Google stating they received a request for a search warrant for an email I was tied to. This email belonged to my fiancée — it was a personal email she created for work, and when she quit her job, the email was deleted. It seems the employer started a case with the local police department, and I’m looking for a lawyer to find out what the search warrant was about.
I understand how concerning it must be to receive a notification about a search warrant. Can you tell me if you have been contacted by law enforcement regarding this matter?
No, I have not.
Have you or your fiancée been involved in any legal issues related to her former employer that might have led to this request?
Not sure.
Is there anything else the criminal lawyer should know before I connect you? Rest assured, they’ll be able to help with your search warrant issue.
Yes
Hello, I'm Simmons, Esq., with over 16 years of experience practicing law in multiple states. In total, I have been in the legal industry since 1999. I kindly request a moment to review your question and conduct legal research to provide an accurate answer. Please note that AskaLawyer is a website that offers general information and does not establish an attorney-client relationship or provide legal representation.
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Ok.
What do you mean, request for a search warrant?
Because search warrants aren't requested — they’re orders.
So there’s no such thing as a “request.”
Let me start from the beginning.
My fiancée created a personal Gmail account to use while working at her previous employer. She quit the position, and the employer wanted access to the email, but instead, we provided them with a copy of the data and requested that the account be deleted. The employer agreed, we provided the data he needed, and deleted the account.
When we deleted the account, Google required a non-Gmail account to receive the confirmation, so I used my Yahoo account. Earlier this week, I received an email from Google stating they provided data to the police department due to a search warrant.
If the employer agreed to allow the deletion of the account, why is there a search warrant?
Police can obtain a search warrant if they have reasonable suspicion of a crime occurring and a judge signs off on the warrant.
In reality, even deleted accounts can be retrieved. Google retains information for all accounts, so whoever issues a warrant to Google can access that information.
What questions do you have about this?
Ok. Can I find out what information in the email account they are looking for?
Would they tell me about the search warrant, or should I look for a lawyer to get that information?
There’s likely a pending criminal investigation. You can submit a FOIA request, but they typically won’t respond until the investigation is concluded.
You don’t have a right to review the search warrant at this point.
