Cruising Can Mean Losing in Divorce Negotiations

When you’re going through a divorce, your reputation and how you represent yourself in the online world matters. As a family law attorney, I can tell you that careless posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites can be costly in everything from your divorce settlement to your child custody agreement.

Dating sites in particular are a virtual minefield when it comes to divorce and custody issues. In fact, in a recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 59 percent of divorce attorneys reported an increase in the use of evidence from dating websites such as Match.com in the past three years. The relationship status (presumably representing that a person was single when actually married) was the most common evidence, used in 57 percent of the cases. Parental status (presumably lying about having children) was used in seven percent of the cases.

While no-fault divorce is available in New York, spouses with this kind of evidence can still cite adultery as grounds, which can be much more damaging to settlement negotiations. Even after your divorce is final, keep in mind that online evidence of irresponsible or illegal behavior could also jeopardize your child custody and/or visitation rights. Though it may be tempting to chronicle the details of your exciting new life, you should consider anything you post to be public information. Be sure to keep it family-friendly — you never know who is watching.

At Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C., your family-law rights are our priority.