Social Media can hurt you in Divorce
In today’s world, social media is prevalent, and it has the power to do good and not so good. If you are pursuing divorce, social media can hurt you tremendously. If you say something on social media that works against your case, it can hurt your chances of winning your case. You might say something that calls the facts of the case into doubt or something that makes you look bad. Remember, everything has a timestamp on it. So if you complain about not having money and not being able to spend enough time with your children, but your latest post shows you on an exotic vacation without your kids …. you may have just given your ex’s lawyer the perfect tools to use against you.
How can Social Media hurt you in a divorce or custody case?
You may end up saying something on social media that contradicts what you’re claiming in the case. For example, say you claim that you have no money but post on social media that you’re going to Dubai on vacation. Such a post would allow the defense to challenge your financial statement. When going through any legal battle, you must always be completely honest about your finances, including gains and losses. Contradictory social media posts can completely ruin your case.
Check-Ins
Additionally, check-ins on social media can show that you are participating in activities or your whereabouts that contradict your lack of ability to pick up your children. Or that you work 80 hours per week, but you are checking in to the movies at 3 pm twice per week. Additionally, location posts can count as evidence against you. Remember, Adultery in Georgia can cost you alimony.
Social Media Comments From Family and Friends
Even what other people post on social media that pertain to you can hurt your case. They might contradict your claims about how much time you spent with the kids. These things can hurt your evidence in the case and paint you in a negative light.
Examples of How Social Media Can Hurt You
Even social media activity that you believe has no relationship to your case can harm you. The connections that a lawyer can make between your posts and your case are limitless. Nevertheless, here are a few specific ways that social media can undercut not only your personal injury claim but also sabotage your case :
- Picture of you partying.
- Posting about how much money you make
- Posting about all the trips you are going on
- Posting about how you are so happy to be single soon
- A picture of you posing, smiling, and laughing in pictures (remember you suppose to be seeking help from a counselor about your depression)
The opposing team can use these pictures and videos against you, which is by no means an exhaustive list. Even posting something that you believe helps your case can invite a harmful response from a social media troll or another ill-willed social media user.
Social Media and your case in court
A social media squabble can complicate the simplest case. You and your attorney may have extra trips to court to figure out whether you have to produce social media records for the other side.
The key to social media discovery is showing relevancy. Georgia discovery rules don’t allow parties to demand large amounts of records in the hopes that they’ll find something helpful for the case. These conflicting legal priorities can result in a court battle that makes your case more complicated and stressful.
What can you do to prevent your social media activity from harming your case?
Unless you are addicted to social media, it should be pretty easy to prevent social media posts from damaging your case. Find a few tips below to ensure that your social media activity doesn’t prevent you from receiving the compensation you deserve.
Avoid posting content to Facebook and other social media sites until you’ve resolved your case.
Taking a break from social media until your case resolves is the best way to prevent your soon-to-be-ex from using any material against you. From marital assets to child support to custody, it’s important to stay away from avoidable complications.
Adjust your privacy settings for all devices
As a Facebook user, you should review your privacy settings periodically to control who can view your profile and activity. This simple step is critical as you can help prevent investigators from knowing your location and seeing your activity. Also, you can lock your timeline to prevent specific groups of people from seeing your posts.
Refrain from being in other people’s photos
Photos and videos posted shortly after filing or even separation can be especially damaging to your lawsuit. You can imagine how it might look if you decide to leave the house and are shown with single friends in a video lounging by the ocean in another country. Remember, even if someone else posts this info, it can be discovered and potentially used against you.
If you’re in need of legal counsel for your divorce case, give us a call at 770-415-8500 or fill out the form below to book your free case evaluation.
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