When it comes to obtaining evidence to use against an ex, many angry wives and husbands will go to great lengths to prove the other is a bad parent, or is attempting to hide information. In some cases, these angry soon-to-be ex-spouses will even use information — inaccurate information — from an online dating profile in court.
According to a recent American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers survey, 59 percent of top divorce attorneys in the country have seen an increase in the number of family law cases involving evidence obtained from online dating websites.
Match.com was the most widely reported, with 64 percent of attorneys reporting seeing an increase in evidence from just that one website. However, it was certainly not the only site, as 9 percent reported seeing evidence from eHarmony and 27 percent saw evidence from other online dating sites.
Outside of actual dating sites, a person’s posted “relationship status” was also noted by 57 percent of attorneys. Aside from their relationship status, salary and occupation, as well as parental status, was also common among evidence seen by attorneys.
In terms of evidence, lying — or not being 100 percent honest — was common among the evidence. For example, someone going through a divorce or child custody battle may claim to be single on Match.com, while in all actuality the user is still married. Or, a father attempting to gain partial custody can claim to not have any children on his online dating profile. One can assume this lie would not look good in court.
In the end, the advice is to watch what is put online and make sure that everything shared is accurate.
Source: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, “Dating Websites Providing More Divorce Evidence Says Survey: Nation’s Top Matrimonial Lawyers Cite Match.com as Most Common Source,” Feb. 11, 2013
