Facebook posts used as evidence in divorces

Facebook is fuelling thousands of divorce rows because people were caught flaunting their hidden wealth on social media, according to a law firm.

Experts at Lake Legal, a Leeds-based firm, said about a third of divorce cases now involve the use of social media, with people attempting to prove or disprove allegations.

Posts featuring images and details of holidays are being used frequently to expose lies that have been made about a person’s income or overall financial standing, it was claimed.

Divorce lawyers are also said to be encouraging their clients to keep an eye on their estranged partner’s social media activity, as well as monitoring their friends and family.

Recently, a woman had her divorce settlement tripled after Facebook posts of her ex-husband’s holiday disproved his claims he was living in poverty.

Further investigations found the man had more than £1m (R19.7m) in a Swiss bank account.

Lawyer Emily Crick said: “A post that may seem harmless at an early stage in separation could become divorce dynamite in any subsequent proceedings.

“Sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook provide a treasure trove of often very useful pieces of information about an opponent’s secret life – the side to their lives they may have reason to hide in court.”

About half of the UK population are active on Facebook, while a third regularly use other social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter.

People going through a divorce often forget that their separated partner may have access to social media posts.

A survey by Censuswide in 2015 covering 2,011 husbands and wives found that the usual reasons for checking their spouse’s social media profiles were to discover who they were communicating with and where they were going.

Social media activity can be used in a divorce case even if it has been deleted if a screenshot showing the date and time of the post has been taken.

Facebook is also being used to expose partners who are lying about their whereabouts.

Excuses may be made that they cannot attend a hearing because of a funeral or another commitment, but images posted on Facebook may show them on holiday. –