Those Going through Divorce Should Beware of Social Media

Social media has become a part of everyday life for many. But Arizonans currently advancing through the divorce process and those considering divorce should know that social media use can be damaging to their legal position.

First, pictures posted online could cause a host of problems. For example, if a party is in a Legal Decision-Making Authority dispute, then pictures of a child doing an activity that can be considered dangerous, like jumping on a trampoline, could be used against that parent. And the pictures do not necessarily have to be posted by the parent to be damaging. Even pictures posted by the child, of them at a party, for instance, could adversely affect a judge’s view of a party’s parenting ability.

Second, social media posts regarding vacations and large purchases could affect property division and spousal support determinations. In short, these posts can be used as evidence of the amount of money a spouse has, which may be in direct contradiction to the financial situation he or she has claimed in divorce documents. It is important to note that deleting these posts may not help and, instead, may be viewed as destroying evidence.

In the end, it is important to realize that social media is not private. Every Facebook post and Twitter tweet may be subject to legal use in a divorce proceeding.

Since family legal issues like spousal support, Parenting Time, child support and property division can be complex, it is often in a divorcing party’s best interest to obtain the help of a family law attorney. An Arizona lawyer can assist a party in protecting his or her best interests while aggressively addressing any contentious issues.

Source: The Huffington Post, “The Divorce Mistakes you Don’t Even Know You’re Making,” Taryn Hillin, March 18, 2014