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The Name You Know.
The Name You Trust.

We have deep ties to the community, we have represented clients in Southwest Florida for more than 25 years.

The Name You
Know.
The Name You
Trust.

We have deep ties to the community, we have represented clients in Southwest Florida for more than 25 years.

Photo of Ian F. Mann

3 incriminating effects of social media posts during divorce

People of all ages are known to have social media profiles in today’s world. It is not uncommon to share all kinds of personal life events, thoughts, feelings and oftentimes nonsensical information to a sea of online users. However, social media can become a damaging platform when you are going through a divorce.

Divorces often bring out the worst in people, especially when you are displaying your marital split publicly online. Your rants, photos and any defaming behavior is being recorded with every upload and post you submit. You may be causing harm in and outside of the courtroom without ever realizing it.

Here are three main ways that social media posts incriminate you during the divorce process:

Financial behavior – Reckless spending and checking in to shops, restaurants, travel locations and nice restaurants can become a problem. When sorting out the financial division of property and assets its best to keep these matters private and not online.

Custody decisions – Child custody decisions are a delicate issue in family court. Some divorcing couples choose to make accusations of an ex-spouse and point fingers through the cross-network of friends and family left behind. These statements can and will be used against your case. Children may be deemed in better hands when social media evidence emerges. Such things as excessive drinking, violent threats, and overall reckless behavior can damage your chances at getting the custody ruling you want.

Contradictions –If you make statements in court, but your social media posts contradict this, your credibility can significantly weaken. For example, claiming to have followed court rulings while your social media accounts say differently. If you are found lying to the court as to issues regarding custody/visitation, hidden assets, traveling outside geographical restrictions, etc. This could lead to major issues with your divorce process outcome.

It is easy to send a post, make a comment, upload a photo, and tag certain people out of emotional impulse during a divorce. But it is not always in your favor when you have an open court case making rulings that affect your future. It is better to think before you engage in social media activity. Give yourself the decency of your own privacy and consider discussing your issues with close friends in other ways that are not documented online.

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