A woman in India recently filed for divorce after her husband neglected to change his relationship status on Facebook to “married” for two months after they were married. The husband replied that the status update had slipped his mind, but the wife insisted she could not trust him. The judge told them both to seek counseling.
While that case seems absurd, it is true that Facebook is increasingly being cited as a sort of ‘witness” in a record number of divorce cases. In 2010, more than 80 percent of attorneys surveyed by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers stated that it was extremely common to use evidence from social media sites such as Facebook in divorce cases. People were able to use photographs shared on Facebook to accuse their then-spouse of everything from infidelity to drug use. And photographic evidence, of everything from drug use to not insisting on bike helmets or using seat belts and child seats for children riding in cars, has been successfully been used in countless child custody cases.
The bottom line? If you post photos or statements which contradict what you have told your spouse or your estranged spouse, you may regret it.
To contact Bill Thode, a Denver divorce lawyer, call (303) 225-3343.