{"id":40166,"date":"2018-06-03T14:56:12","date_gmt":"2018-06-03T14:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=40166"},"modified":"2019-04-17T17:12:59","modified_gmt":"2019-04-17T17:12:59","slug":"social-media-its-role-in-divorce-and-associated-pitfalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/social-media-its-role-in-divorce-and-associated-pitfalls\/","title":{"rendered":"Social media: its role in divorce and associated pitfalls"},"content":{"rendered":"


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During divorce<\/h4>\n

Social media can be a very disruptive and harmful tool when going through a break-up. Many people are oblivious to the fact that social media posts are public documents, admissible in court and can cause potentially significant harm to their case during dissolution proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Divorce can be a highly stressful and emotional time. In fact, a 2015 study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes<\/a><\/em>, found that women who had been through divorce were 24% more likely to suffer a heart attack than others who had not. Further, women who had experienced more than one marital breakdown have a 77% increased risk of suffering a heart attack.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Given these statistics, venting your frustrations via social media might appear to be an appropriate way of providing temporary relief from the stresses of reality. However, it is important not to get carried away with your online activity and to ensure that status updates and images posted online are not contradictory to anything you intend to rely on in court or negotiations. For example, if you maintain that you are unable to work due to injury but then post pictures of you on holiday doing extreme sports, this argument may be undermined entirely\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/span>as well as serving to demonstrate your dishonest character.<\/span><\/p>\n

Determining a fair financial settlement during divorce, be it through agreement formulated with the assistance of lawyers, at mediation or by asking a judge to decide in court proceedings, plays an important role in achieving finality and ensuring your financial security. Without a clean break clause embodied within a consent order or order imposed by the court, your financial claims remain open indefinitely.<\/span><\/p>\n

When separating from your spouse, you may be tempted to take a holiday, treat yourself or indulge in retail therapy, all of which are perfectly acceptable coping mechanisms.<\/span>
However, be careful what you post to social media, as these posts may be factored into any discussions regarding finances. If you\u2019re asking for settlement to weigh largely in your favour due to your strained financial circumstances but you\u2019re posting pictures of yourself on holiday abroad with a new (apparently wealthier) partner it could give your ex the evidence they need to contest your claims.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you have removed your former spouse from your friends and\/or followers list and blocked them, you are likely to still have mutual friends. Aggrieved exes may even go to the lengths of creating new accounts to monitor the other\u2019s behaviour post break-up for the sole purpose of gathering evidence to use in court\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and even to attempt blackmail them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Divorce with dignity<\/h4>\n

Where a relationship has broken down due to infidelity, you may have seen incriminating messages and\/or photos on your partner\u2019s email or social media accounts. It can be very tempting to \u2018hack\u2019 their accounts to obtain the proof, thinking it will help you in court. This is not a good idea for a number of reasons:<\/span><\/p>\n