If you are a regular user of social media, you probably find it difficult to refrain from sharing the details of your life with your friends and family. Whether you are bragging about the things that are going well in life or venting about your current frustrations or dilemmas, social media can be something of an addiction and many often engage in oversharing. If you are going through a divorce, oversharing can be incredibly detrimental to your case, offering a wealth of evidence for your spouse’s attorney to use against you.

Here Are Some Reasons Why You Should Stay Logged Out Of Social Media Until After Your Divorce Is Finalized:

  1. Your Posts Are Considered Discoverable: All of those photographs and status updates you enjoy posting on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, or anything you have sent via text or email are discoverable in litigation. This means that your spouse can request copies of the posted photographs during court proceedings and that they can be used as evidence. If you think that you are safe simply by not post photos, remember that photos of you posted by others can also be used as evidence¸ regardless if they had your permission to post or not.
  2. Even Seemingly Innocuous Posts Can Hurt You: There are some posts you might think are totally harmless, but even a post that appears to be innocent can derail your case. For example, if you claim to be unable to make child support or alimony payments, but pictures of you drinking champagne at a pricey mountain resort pop up, no one is going to believe you. If you post a joke about having partied all night when you were really caring for your infant, it will not matter that the post was in jest. Taken out of context, your post might be misinterpreted and be incredibly detrimental to you.
  3. De-Friending and Blocking Are Not Effective Solutions: Deleting your spouse from your friends on social media or blocking them does not mean your page is no longer visible. Adjust your privacy settings to ensure they are set to the highest level. Even then, be careful with what you post. You might share mutual friends, acquaintances, and even family members who might share information with your spouse.

If you choose not to stay logged out of social media, you can still take some precautions to ensuring it does not harm your chances at achieving a favorable settlement.

Here Are Some Tips:

  1. Always think twice before you post anything. Ask yourself if you would mind a judge seeing your post and if the answer is yes or if you are unsure, do not post it. You should always consider the worst-case scenario.
  2. Re-examine your friends and followers on social media and consider removing anyone you do not trust or anyone whom you believe might share your personal information with your spouse.
  3. Check out your privacy settings to ensure they are as secure as possible. These features often change without warning, so doing a double check on these can be very helpful.
  4. Do not share your attorney-client communications online. Doing so can possibly wave attorney-client privilege, so whatever you do, keep all communication with your lawyer to yourself and leave it off of social media.

Divorce Attorneys in Murrieta

At Westover Law Group, our skilled legal team is led by a Certified Family Law Specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization. Therefore, you can be confident that, when you choose to work with us, you will receive the best possible representation that will protect your interests and help you achieve a favorable divorce settlement. We will keep you up to date on all case developments, help you seek resolutions in a non-confrontational manner, and prepare any necessary legal documents while informing you of your rights.

Contact us today at (951) 643-0085 to schedule a confidential consultation with us.