An aspect of divorce that often goes unnoticed, until it is too late, is the impact of social media. You go out and live your life, capturing moments while out with friends, tweeting about how crazy last night was, or posting a comment on a friend’s Facebook wall; all things that have come to be your norm. Now imagine that some of those messages and images show up in a courtroom. Not a pretty picture.
When going through a divorce, there is a lot on the line: time sharing, alimony, division of assets, child support, etc. When the judge is considering what to set each at, the judge takes income into account. If the judge sees a low income and then pictures of a luxury vacation shortly after someone filed for divorce, it can have a severe impact on your case. Either this person has more money than they appear, or they are irresponsible. Either option will not be favorable for your case.
Another aspect people tend to overlook is the use of email and text messages. These messages can also be used as evidence during the divorce process. If a husband suspects that his wife has been cheating and discovers emails about the affair, they can be submitted to the judge for his ruling. Now, if this particular wife were to delete these emails, then this would be considered destruction of evidence. Once the litigation begins, all those emails and posts become evidence.
As a general rule of thumb, reflect on a post before hitting send. Consider if that post you’re thinking of making could come back to be used against you. The use of social media is just another tool that can be used against you if the opportunity arises. The less evidence that can be used against you, the better.
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John Schutz
Partner at John F. Schutz, P.L.
Representing clients exclusively in family law cases for the past 24 years, Mr. Schutz is widely regarded as a marital and family law expert. He is Board Certified in marital and family law by The Florida Bar. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), Mr. Schutz is committed to elevating the standards and improving the practice of family law.
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