Social Media And Divorce: How Does Social Media Impact Your Divorce Settlement?
Don’t let your Facebook or Twitter posts derail your divorce. Before you post, talk with a San Bernardino divorce lawyer at Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox LLP about how Social Media can affect the custody arrangement and divorce settlement you reach.
Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox LLP attorneys have more than 140 years of collective experience in family law. We know that social media has had a profound impact on many divorces. Some husbands and wives have made mistakes online that have cost them everything. We can help make sure that does not happen to you. Give us a call now to speak with an attorney about how to protect yourself during divorce. We can answer questions including:
- How can social media affect my divorce?
- How can I protect myself and avoid social media mistakes?
- How can a San Bernardino divorce lawyer help avoid problems during the divorce process?
How Can I Avoid Social Media Mistakes?
There are a number of ways to avoid social media pitfalls during divorce. While one option may be to simply stop public postings and make your info private, there’s no guarantee that the judge won’t order opposing parties to turn over social media logins and passwords. Since there’s a real possibility your ex could access your info, you should:
- Be civil. Don’t insult your ex or talk about the divorce online.
- Block your ex. You may also want to block shared friends likely to take your ex’s side.
- Change passwords. Don’t risk your ex accessing your data without permission.
- Adjust your privacy settings. Keep your posts and info out of the public eye.
- Turn off geo-tags and check-ins. Don’t let opposing counsel track your every move.
- Don’t use private messages unless the content could safely go public. If you’re still married and looking to flirt, private messages are definitely not the way to do it.
- Delete heavily. If there’s a chance something could make you look bad, delete it. While it isn’t impossible for opposing counsel to recover it, it is more difficult for them to do so.
- Google yourself using a non-personalized search to identify any results you need to take down.
- Talk to your lawyer. Tell your attorney if you believe your ex’s own social media profiles might turn up anything important.
Every situation is different, so you should strongly consider getting specific advice on the use of social media during your divorce from an attorney who can guide you through the process of dissolving your marriage.
How Can Social Media Affect Your Divorce
Information obtained via Social Media accounts is generally going to be admissible and considered by a family court judge. What does this mean for you? Here are some examples of how social media has affected the divorce process for some couples:
- A husband pleading poverty posts pictures of expensive cars, raising questions about hidden accounts and leading to a more favorable divorce settlement for the wife.
- A mother posts repeated negative comments about the father, supporting dad’s allegations that mom is trying to alienate the kids.
- A husband claiming disability to justify a larger spousal support amount posts pictures while water skiing; making it clear there is no real medical issue.
- A mom posts pictures of a child with a beer, or posts her own partying pictures. These kinds of pictures are presented as evidence of unfit parenting.
These are just a few serious social media mistakes made during a divorce. While these mistakes may seem obvious, a wide variety of things posted on social media could end up hurting you when your actions are scrutinized during the divorce process. Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox LLP can provide you with guidance on how to protect yourself and make informed choices so you don’t end up costing yourself money or time with your kids.
How Can a San Bernardino Divorce Lawyer Help?
A divorce lawyer in San Bernardino does much more than just make sure you don’t get into trouble on social media. Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox LLP is here to help you with every aspect of your divorce so you can negotiate a settlement that works for you and a custody arrangement that works for your children. Call 909-798-3300 or contact us online now to learn more.
