Why a Facebook divorce is a terrible idea

Go ahead. Admit it. You “live” on social media. You cannot stay away from Facebook and the others. You constantly check your cellphone to keep up with your friends and family and let them keep up with you. But if you plan to get a Florida divorce soon, you should seriously consider limiting your Facebook, et al activity until after you conclude your divorce. Why? Because posting certain kinds of personal information prior to or during your divorce could come back to haunt you, especially if yours is a high-asset divorce.

It is true. No matter how carefully you think you have set up your privacy settings, your spouse and his or her divorce attorney likely can access the information you post on Facebook and other social media. And when they do, they could use your postings against you in court. Roughly two-thirds of divorce attorneys nationwide admit that they seek out damaging information about their clients’ respective spouses on Facebook and other social media.

“Forbidden” postings

Ideally, you should just drop out of social media sight before and during your divorce. But if you cannot give it up completely, you would do well to never post any of the following information:

  • Who you have started dating
  • What things you have purchased, especially expensive items
  • What houses, condos or apartments you are checking out as a potential new home
  • Where you go to socialize and with whom
  • Photos showing any of the above
  • Photos that show you in a suggestive or explicit sexual pose or situation

Old postings

While you are thinking about it, you may also want to review the Facebook, Twitter and other social media postings you made during the past few months. Delete any of them you now realize could be damaging to your divorce interests. Remember, once you post things online, they basically become public information. Your friends and family often repost them, giving your spouse and his or her divorce attorney a wide network to troll to find unflattering and questionable information about you. As with anything else pertaining to your divorce, discretion is the better part of valor. The less you say the better.

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At Tampa Bay Legal Center, P.A., we care about our clients and about helping them resolve the legal issues they face in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Our law firm is led by attorney Carl J. Ohall who, for more than 25 years, has helped people throughout the Tampa area overcome legal challenges that affect their families, finances & health.

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