Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have changed our world and caused people to evaluate how private they want to be and what they want to share with the world or extended friends and family via the Internet. But many people also post to social media without giving a second thought to who can see what they’re posting and whether it’s a good idea to put that post out there. 
It is more important than ever to show a level of restraint in social media posts when you’re involved in a divorce, as what you post can come back to hurt you over the process and even directly impact your settlement and child custody, or you may find yourself hauled into court.
Here are several actions and types of social media posts I’ve seen in real cases that you should make sure to avoid copying as you go through your divorce and after.
- Posting a picture of yourself on Facebook violating the law, parole or a protection order by doing drugs, taking shots, waving a gun, leaving the state, going to a strip club, etc. It’s even worse if you have a caption like “shhhh!” or “Don’t tell.”
- Lambasting the other party on Facebook, especially with lots of curse words or contrary to a court order, and then ending up having to read the post out loud on the stand in court while being cross examined by your ex’s attorney.
- Posting a picture on social media of a luxury car, silver coins, collectibles, cash or other high end items you denied having during the divorce.
- Tweeting or posting about how you screwed the other party over during the divorce, or attack the judge and then later ending up in court with them reading your post aloud to you.
- Forgetting to protect your passwords and accidentally giving the other party open access to your social media, email, etc.
- Forgetting that the other party’s family and friends may be trolling your social media and giving the information to your ex or their attorney. Blocking the other person is not enough to protect your privacy.
- Installing spyware on your ex’s computer and getting caught tracking their keystrokes.
- Getting matched up to wink at (or otherwise connect with) your ex’s attorney or friends on a dating site.
- Posting a picture of your new partner and you at an exotic out-of-state getaway, having left the kids behind without telling the other parent during what was supposed to be your parenting time.
- Friends, family or you making a public record of trying to lobby and align the kids (and maybe even the whole town) against your ex.
- Posting a picture of your wedding when — oops! — your divorce is not final yet. Otherwise known as bigamy.
If you need more clarification on what is OK to post and what can get you in hot water when it comes to divorce proceedings, or are dealing with a divorce where these things are happening, call Andersen Law PC today at (720) 922-3880 or email beth@andersenlawpc.com.
