Can social media posting lead to an alimony modification?

Social media has become such a large part of society that most people don’t even think twice about what they post on things like Facebook or Twitter. But, when a Maryland couple is going through a divorce, this habit could land them in hot water.

As was mentioned in a recent article, sharing the details of one’s life may be fine and dandy when all is well, but when a couple gets wrapped up in contentious divorce litigation those details most likely need to be tempered quite a bit. And one area where this can really have an impact is on a determination of spousal support.

Spousal support, more commonly known as alimony, is a monthly payment made by one ex-spouse to the other. The purpose is to help the receiving spouse maintain a standard of living that is at least somewhat similar to what they experienced during the marriage. Alimony can also help an ex-spouse enhance their job skills, allowing them to re-enter the workforce in cases where they may have been staying at home to take care of children. Either way, alimony is not often subject to modification – but it can be under the right circumstances.

The recent article mentioned that social media can play a huge role in an alimony modification hearing. For instance, if an ex-spouse who is receiving alimony is also posting pictures of things like lavish vacations or expensive purchases, the paying spouse may use that as evidence that alimony is no longer necessary. As such, the spouse who was making those social media posting without a second thought could find themselves in a position to lose out on alimony.

Source: The Huffington Post, “The Divorce Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You’re Making,” Taryn Hillin, March 18, 2014