Facebook and Your Divorce

Author: Jeff Miller

Facebook may seem like a harmless social network, but the fact of the matter is that the Internet site can have a serious impact on your marriage. In fact, according to Smart Money, a recent study of an online divorce site in the United Kingdom indicated that more than 1/3 of divorce filings contained a mention of Facebook.

Facebook can not only be a potential cause of divorce, but evidence from the social networking site can also be used against you in a Florida divorce. As such, before you write anything on Facebook when you are considering ending your marriage, you should always talk to a Florida divorce lawyer about the implications of your actions.

Facebook and Florida Divorce

Facebook is about making connections, and, with MSN reporting that 40 percent of all adults log into Facebook at least one per week, there are plenty of people to make connections with. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of temptation.

People using the site can easily get in touch with former flames, old lovers or their attractive coworkers or people they meet. What seems like innocent talking on Facebook can quickly lead to more emotional or physical connections, especially as people tend to feel more private and anonymous and less shy on Facebook than they would in real life. This means that affairs can start very quickly and easily and, once they do start, they can be more easily discovered due to online evidence in Facebook posts and pictures.

While affairs started through Facebook are one of the main causes of divorces related to the social networking site, they are not the only reason for Facebook divorces. In a Huffington Post article, for example, the site told the story of a woman who had filed for divorce because her husband would not change his Facebook status to married. In other cases, people find out about financial infidelity or other lies when things are posted on Facebook, contributing to a decision to divorce.

Facebook as Evidence in a Florida Divorce

Whether your Florida divorce is prompted by Facebook or by other issues in your marriage, it is always advisable to try to reach a settlement agreement out of court. With a Florida divorce settlement agreement, the court can simply sign off on the dissolution of the marriage provided all requirements for divorce are met.

If you do not reach a settlement agreement, however, and you have to litigate issues, then anything you do say or have said on Facebook can be used in your divorce proceedings. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers has reported that Facebook is used as evidence in as many as 81 percent of divorce cases, which means that there is a good chance that something on the social network might be used against you.

Deleting incriminating info from Facebook is usually not the best solution, especially in light of the fact that Forbes reported that a judge ordered a couple to reveal their passwords to each other and issued an injunction preventing the deletion of certain relevant info that was relevant in their divorce proceedings.

Instead, when you are thinking about divorce or involved in the divorce process, it is important that you always talk to a Florida divorce lawyer before you make any decisions that could impact your rights or your reputation.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/divorce-articles/facebook-and-your-divorce-6122674.html

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