How Can I Ensure My Divorce Is Kept Private?

When divorces get ugly, it is customary to worry about the details of your divorce being exploited to the public by your former spouse, as they may intentionally share private information in retaliation. If you want to keep your divorce confidential, contact a trusted Pensacola Divorce Lawyer who can help you navigate this complex process. Please continue reading to learn what measures you can take to ensure the details of your divorce are kept private.

What steps can I take to ensure the details of my divorce remain private?

In today’s society, most people use social media to keep up with their friends and family. However, despite wanting to share your everyday life on social media platforms, it poses a significant problem when divorcing. Even if you upload a post to your social media account with the assumption that only a few friends will see it, there is still a possibility that you will retreat what you have posted in the future. This is primarily because your friends may see your post and start asking questions to figure out what’s going on in your personal life. If you want to keep your personal information private, avoid posting on social media. Additionally, it is imperative to note that divorce attorneys can use social media as a resource to build arguments regarding custody, support payments, and the division of assets.

Alongside staying off social media, you should keep your passwords safe from your former spouse. As mentioned above, couples often merge their lives after saying “I do,” which includes sharing passwords to unshared personal and financial accounts. If your spouse knows the password to your accounts, they can quickly gain access whenever they please and obtain sensitive information. If you are going through an ugly divorce, your spouse may exploit your information to others out of spite. To protect your private information, you should change your passwords to all your accounts and set up two-factor authentication as an additional defense method to keep your accounts safeguarded.

Should I avoid putting my divorce on public record?

Unfortunately, many people do not realize that divorce court records are available. Essentially, anyone seeking information about your divorce can access that information easily. However, despite divorce court records being open to the public, there are ways in which you may be able to have your case file sealed. An attorney can file a motion to fully or partially seal your divorce records. Nonetheless, it is critical to understand that both parties typically need to agree to seal the case, and you will require valid reasoning. The court generally only grants requests to protect minor children, victims of domestic violence or keeping financial information from getting out into the public.

However, consider an alternative dispute resolution method to ensure your court records are not submitted to the official court record. With divorce mediation or a collaborative divorce, you can avoid litigation. By avoiding litigation, through these confidential processes, your private information regarding the details of your divorce will not be on public record.

If you want to ensure your divorce is kept private, contact a determined lawyer from The Law Office of James M. Burns today to discuss how we can help you safeguard your privacy.