Many divorces are highly contentious. Spouses end up digging up as much dirt as they can to try to better position themselves in regard to property division, alimony, and child custody. While this type of strategy might not be preferred, it might be necessary to be proactive in uncovering information that can be utilized to protect your interests as well as those of your child. Social media is a perfect example.
The effects of social media in a divorce case
Our lives have become more digitalized over the last decade or more, and people have become freer with the information they share online. This can have major ramifications for your divorce case. For example, social media posts about violent behavior or substance abuse could play a profound role in your child custody case. Posts showing your former spouse with a new job or cohabitating with another individual could affect spousal support amounts. There are other ways that social media posts could be beneficial in your case, too, but you should be aware that these type of evidence can be used against you as well. So, be careful what you post.
Gathering evidence
If you see social media posts that you think could be helpful to your case, then you might want to collect evidence of it as quickly as possible. This might mean taking screen shots and/or writing down when the post was made, when you observed it, and what the post contained. Don’t wait on doing this, though, because damaging social media posts can be quickly deleted.
Don’t let lies and secrecy get the best of you
People are brutally honest online, and the photographs they share can tell a completely different story than what they share during negotiations and in court. That’s why you’ll want to be armed with the evidence and legal arguments that you need to aggressively defend your interests. For assistance with that, consider speaking with a proven family law firm.