If you are in the middle of an acrimonious divorce, you may be tempted to vent out your frustrations on social media. However, even as emotions run high, your words could come back to haunt you and affect aspects of your divorce.
You need to be careful about what you post, photos or otherwise, as they could be used against you by your ex to prove a point in court. Even if you have blocked them, whatever you post may still come to the court’s attention.
Custody orders could be affected
Suppose you post disparaging remarks about the other parent. Then, a judge may view you as an angry and uncooperative parent unfit to take care of the child. The courts always consider the child’s best interests when making any custody decisions, and if your social media posts could show that their welfare is at risk, you are likely to lose ground with the court.
In short, you should never post anything — even in jest — about your children or their other parent that you wouldn’t want to hear read aloud in front of a family court judge.
Your financial disclosures could be questioned
You may have told the court that you are in financial straits, yet your social media posts paint a different story. It might lead the judge to believe that you are living lavishly while, in reality, it is far from the truth. Any jokes about hidden assets could also cast doubts on your credibility — and even attempts to look like you are “living it up” after your split so that your ex doesn’t know your real situation could be problematic.
Additionally, your social media posts could affect the amount of alimony you either must pay or hope to receive, given that the judge has discretion on the amount to award as spousal support in Connecticut.
Consider keeping off social media
It is advisable to take a break from social media until divorce proceedings are concluded. If anything, all your efforts should be geared towards protecting your legal rights through the whole process. Remember, a lot is at stake, financially and emotionally. Therefore, you don’t want any loose ends that could affect your case.