How could social media impact a North County divorce? If you are considering a divorce in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside or anywhere in North County San Diego you should begin reducing your social media footprint. The Certified Family Law Specialists at Burke & Domercq, APC have represented clients before Carlsbad family law courts in Vista for decades. The impact of social media in a local divorce process continues to increase.
How could social media impact a North County divorce? Seemingly harmless posts can affect everything from child custody and parenting time to the division of assets. The first lesson here is simple: Nothing is private.
You may think your posts on many social media sites are private or secret. Nothing is further from the truth. This is a permanent digital record which can be brought into evidence during “discovery” and used against you in many ways.
For example, a simple post showing casual drug use (even with a medical card), partying at a weekend event or disparaging your former spouse can come back to haunt you during child custody hearings. A judge may very well question your ability to parent a child based upon social media behavior.
Most judges are looking for parents who show openness to engaging the other parent, especially if your goal is primary custody. A candid comment here and there combined with other evidence may show that you do not have the child’s best interest at heart opening the door for orders which do not reflect your own goals and objectives.
California law is replete with examples of careless social media posts which have come back to haunt one of the parties. Examples of social media impact a North County divorce range broadly from an unreported scratch off lottery win to behavior which leads the court to believe your home is not the best environment for children.
Social media posts as well as emails and texts can be used to disprove your own testimony damaging every potential aspect of the case from spousal support to the division of assets.
The experienced divorce attorneys at Burke & Domercq, APC have a responsibility to investigate every avenue as we aggressively advocate on behalf of our clients. Social media has become a central source of critical information in many Carlsbad divorce cases. If you are considering a divorce it is important to understand all of the facts and work with experienced attorneys who provide sound counsel.
We invite you to review the recommendations of our clients and contact us or call 760-389-3927 to schedule an appointment. Planning is a key element in any divorce case, and we help our clients to prepare and take actions which support their most important goals.
In summary, the best policy is to refrain as much as possible from posting to social media. The court is looking for balanced parents who are willing to share the responsibility of co-parenting while providing a good home for the children. Careless social media posts can and will affect the outcome in your divorce.