Can I Use Facebook and Social Media in Court?

Posted by Thomas MallonDec 01, 20150 Comments

Can I Use Facebook and Social Media in Court?

Facebook and other social media have become a public store where individuals go to make new colleagues and link up to meet with old companions. Numerous social media platform users today distribute information of their day by day life completely with their loved ones on their page; in many cases neglecting to stop and consider the quantity of different people that could be checking their posts. Today with the adjustments in the public this change is additionally being noted in lawful trials. Proof from facebook pages is locating its way into the court and offering significant discoveries in various trials.

What you say on social media can be use against you as a part of a court of law. Whether it's a criminal trial, separation (divorce), posts on different social media platforms, for example, Facebook, Twitter, and so on are routinely appearing as proof in courts.

In several courts, an individual might need to verify an online social platform post before a lawyer permits their utilization as proof. A court won't utilize a social platform post against you in the event that somebody hacked your social media accounts and posted on your sake without your consent.

Since numerous people leave their profiles open to the public to view, lawyers have access to their personal data which they have been using in court. They can display a categorized photograph or post that possibly will reveal a strong point to the judges. For those who have preferred to make their profile viewings restricted to those they give access to, some lawyers have gone to the extent of sending a friend request in hopes of gaining access into the data their Facebook page offers.

Most lawyers frequently go to social media site like Facebook to find out proof that support their customers claims – especially in Family Law cases that surround custody. Situations in which a social media post may be used as evidence in family court include:

  • Divorce
  • Custody
  • Child Support
  • Division of marial property
  • Visitation

A judge/lawyer might base judgment concerning the indulgence of matrimonial possessions and alimony on social media posts. For instance, if one party requests spousal support because he can't find a job and has no skill sets, a judge might reject the request if he lists job skills in a social media profile and posts about going to interviews or going to work. A lawyer might utilize a compromising image of a wife with a man who isn't her partner or her profile on a dating site in a divorce agreement.

Additionally, when a parent wants to refuse child visitation rights to the other, a lawyer might use a Facebook or other social media post to reveal that the person in question is unfit. Harmful posts can include those that talk about or unlawful actions or alcohol abuse, relationship status changes or updating about different location on your Facebook when you're supposed to be with the children. In the same way, if you claim that you have no money during a child support trial, but have posts about paying for costly stuff or departing on journey, a judge might not rule in your favor.