Social Media & Family Law

  •   |   Meghan Freed

First, enjoy this short, award winning 1950’s style PSA video.

Clever, funny, and also right on the nose – things do have a way of spiraling out of control across the social media spectrum.

We bring this up to illustrate in the most fun way we can think of while still grabbing your attention, that when it comes to being involved in a family law matter – any family law matter – social media is not your friend.

Courts recognize social media as evidence. More and more stories are popping up about cases that have been won or lost on an ill-advised post. A woman in California had an $800,000 personal injury award reversed after a Facebook post emerged – seems that two days after her injury she posted “Best day of my life!”

It may not have been a problem, may have been taken for sarcasm . . . if not for the fact she was posting from a water park.

Don’t laugh, all her privacy settings were set correctly. It only took an annoyed “friend” taking a screenshot and sending it to the defendant’s attorney to bring it to light.

Which brings up our most important point – nothing you post on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, or anything else is ever really erased. Everything you post, even on Snapchat, can be preserved forever with a screen save – something that takes less time than a normal heartbeat … of a marathon runner.

We recognize that it’s utterly unrealistic to expect our clients (and prospective clients) to stop using social media during a family law matter that is already stressful enough without feeling cut off from support. We just ask that you are careful and post while fully aware -perhaps while repeating this aloud – that, realistically, anyone can see it.

Also, this: sarcasm plays very poorly, especially on Twitter; and it’s very, very easy to take Tweets and Facebook captions out of context. Rule of thumb: if you feel uneasy, if you have the slightest hesitation about how something will be taken, don’t send it.

Let’s avoid any Alice or Timmy complications.

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Freed Marcroft guides select clients through the legal aspects of divorce and family law while remaining mindful of their overall wellness.

To discuss our helping with your situation, contact us today here.

Freed Marcroft LLC

Freed Marcroft LLC
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