Leaving my boyfriend

The present age of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram allow people to constantly share with their family and friends whatever happens in their lives. You are likely aware that what you post on social networking sites might have a negative effect on your employment prospects, but have you considered the effect of your posts on a pending divorce proceeding?

Assets

During divorce proceedings, the court seeks to know about all the marital assets so that equal distribution of the marital property between the separating spouses can be achieved. When you initiate divorce, you are expected to reveal all of your assets. In a bid to retain more than their equal share, some people might attempt to hide assets from the other spouse, alleging that they don't exist. Social media has turned into a platform for people to become conscious of their ex-spouse's concealed assets, secret lives, and to discover potential things that may affect the final divorce settlement. For example, your spouse maintains they have no stock options at their place of work. A couple of weeks into your divorce case, he or she posts on Facebook that they have cashed out all the stocks, and purchased a Lamborghini.

Additionally, your ex-spouse's posts on social media about new property investments and luxurious trips might reveal a lot more than meets the eye. You can discover this information in several ways, from seeing the posts first hand, or having a friend tell them of the new lifestyle. If any of these assets were amassed during the course of the marriage, both spouses have an entitlement to them and should be included in the divorce settlement arrangement.

Evidence

Social media may also harm a spouse attempting to refute a fault-based divorce lawsuit. For example, if your spouse refutes having extramarital affairs, but then posts pictures of a weekend retreat together with their mistress, chances are that you can unearth more proof that this relationship is existing. Such posts often make fault-based divorce claims easier to prove, and increasingly damaging on the spouse at fault. What's more, if a couple is fighting for the custody of their kids, but one of them continually posts photos of him or her partying and smoking, this piece of evidence may be used to deem them unfit for custody in particular circumstances.

The bottom line is that there's no such thing as privacy in social media sites. Be careful what you post on social media especially when you have a pending divorce case. Contact a family lawyer for more advice.