Facebook Fuels Divorce
Facebook: Fuel for Divorce
Date of issue: 26thNovember 2012
More than one third of divorce petitions in the UK cite Facebook as a contributing factor to the end of a relationship.1Thousands more divorcees use the social media site to vent their frustrations and post nasty comments for public viewing. This can have dangerous consequences to their divorce settlement entitlements, advises divorce and pension consultant, Divorce LifeLine.
A recent survey1revealed that feuding couples increasingly complain of unreasonable behavior online and now inappropriate messages and photographs are being used as evidence in court, in order to claim larger portions of marital assets and often to win custody of children.
Jeremy Wolff, founding partner of Divorce LifeLine, comments: “Spontaneous acts are more likely to be committed online, particularly on Facebook, as intimate conversations between friends become part of the public domain. Research suggests that couples are increasingly being caught out when one makes negative remarks about the other, or communicates inappropriately with someone of the opposite sex; hence the rise in social media being referred to in divorce petitions in the UK.
People need to be careful what they post on such public domains, particularly as online behaviour is now being taken into account in court, especially in divorce cases where children are involved or where there is a potential financial dispute. It could really affect the outcome of the settlement.”
Time Magazine also claims that Facebook can be an ‘evidentiary goldmine’, particularly if an ex-partner posts images or status updates out at an expensive restaurant, on holiday or if their new partner comments on an expensive gift they received.
The court can consider this as marital assets being disbursed to a third party and lawyers will use any advantage they have to press their case.2
“Social media is becoming integral to legal cases and those involved must be careful what they do and say,” according to Jeremy. “It is often wise to avoid such websites during proceedings.”
Divorce LifeLine is a specialist divorce and pension settlement consultancy and has already helped investigate hundreds of claims for tens of thousands of pounds in lost financial entitlements from former divorce solicitors.
Divorce LifeLine estimates that up to half of the 1.5 million divorces that have taken place in the UK since divorce laws were changed in 2000,* may have not had the matrimonial pension in their divorce settlement correctly valued by a financial expert. Many divorcees therefore may have lost tens of thousands of pounds and may be entitled to reclaim these funds.
Divorce LifeLine pursues a case on the divorcee’s behalf, against their former solicitors, without involving the former spouse at all.
Where claims can-not be pursued, there is no fee to pay for any of the investigative work carried out by Divorce LifeLine and their team of professionals.
*Since a major change in the law in December 2000, pension sharing has become allowed. This means a pension provider can be told that a percentage of the pension of their member can be allocated to the members’ former spouse.
- Ends –
For help and advice, please telephone Divorce LifeLine on: 01932 240048
or visit www.divorcelifeline.co.uk
Press Contact: Julia Arnold at Elite Communications:
Telephone: 01403 711 639 or email: julia.arnold@elite-communications.co.uk
Sources:
1More than 33 per cent of divorces last year listed Facebook as a contributing factor, a study of 5000 divorce petitions by UK law firm Divorce-Online found.
http://blog.divorce-online.co.uk/?p=2413
2http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1904147,00.html
Press Contact:
Julia Arnold
Elite Communications
44 (0)20 7097 872