Attorneys in all areas of the law are starting to sound like broken records when it comes to advising their clients to stay away from social media when they’re in the middle of a lawsuit — but that’s only because clients continue to make social media mistakes that have big legal repercussions.
A case in point is the recent actions of one of the lesser-known Kardashians, Rob, who decided to tweet nude photos of his child’s mother in an ill-timed and poorly-considered act of “revenge porn.”
While the damage he did his ex-girlfriend, a model, is probably actually fairly minimal, the damage he did to himself and his child custody case is likely to be extensive.
First of all, revenge porn isn’t just in bad taste — it also happens to be illegal in California. That means the young man’s indulgence in a foolish fit against his ex-girlfriend could result in a restraining order and a misdemeanor charge that could net him six months in jail plus a $1,000 fine.
His ex-girlfriend could also choose to sue him in civil court for the emotional harm she suffered by his actions — and he could easily find himself paying damages in the six-figure range.
Perhaps worst of all, from his perspective, is the potential damage he’s done to his well-publicized custody battle over the couple’s young daughter. If he’s slapped with a restraining order for domestic abuse (which is what revenge porn is considered), he may not stand a chance at getting custody. Anyone guilty of domestic abuse is unqualified for even joint physical custody of a child.
In effect, even if the state decides not to press charges against the reality star, he may have just handed his child’s mother everything she needs to win sole custody of their daughter.
Don’t let a foolish mistake ruin something far more important — the outcome of your child custody case. Talk to your attorney early on about social media and what you can and cannot do if you want to preserve your case.
Source: Hollywood Life, “Why Blac Chyna Could Get Full Custody Of Dream After Rob Kardashian Posts Revenge Porn,” Chris Rogers, Senior Editor, July 05, 2017