Man Caught Bugging Estranged Wife’s Phone Could Lose Out in Asset Distribution

A man from Brooklyn Heights forfeited his potential claim to his wife’s fortune from a tobacco company after divorce proceedings revealed he had bugged her iPhone with simple $50 software.

By bugging her phone, he was able to record some of her confidential meetings with her divorce attorney and psychologist to gain an unfair advantage in divorce proceedings. Justice Jeffrey Sunshine of the Brooklyn Supreme Court decided to bar the man from accessing marital asset distributions because of his “unprecedented, contumacious conduct.” The justice said he hoped the punishment would be a lesson to other divorcing spouses who would otherwise be tempted to violate attorney/client and doctor/patient confidentiality by using spy software.

Spying is common in divorces

Unfortunately, this sort of activity is somewhat common when couples are going through a divorce. Advances in technology have made this software readily available, and it can be incredibly sophisticated. Even relatively technology-illiterate people can find these spying tools and install them on the phones and devices of their friends and loved ones. In some cases, device owners have no way to know the software has been installed.

Justice Sunshine and other judges tend to be very strict when these issues come to light in New York divorce court. The law has strong protections in place regarding attorney/client privilege, and violating that privilege is seen as unfair.

If you have any reason to believe your spouse is attempting to spy on you during your divorce proceedings, we encourage you to work with an experienced Long Island divorce lawyer at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates to protect your rights.