Divorce Cases Increasingly Involve Smartphone Evidence, Study Finds

More and more divorce and family law cases are turning on evidence pulled from electronic sources like Facebook and smart phones, according to a recent study.

2012-09-15

September 15, 2012 (Press-News.org) More than one-third of American adults own a smartphone, according to the Pew Internet Project. With smartphones proving their usefulness in everything from budgeting to navigation, their popularity is no surprise -- but many people are discovering too late that owning a smartphone often does more harm than good in divorce court.

A recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, or AAML, found that more than 90 percent of divorce attorneys have witnessed an increase in the number of divorce proceedings involving evidence pulled from smartphones over the past three years.

According to the AAML, the types of evidence most frequently taken from smart phones include:
-Text messages (62 percent)
-Emails (23 percent)
-Phone numbers and call histories (13 percent)
-Internet search histories (1 percent)
-GPS location (1 percent)

Text messages can be a uniquely powerful form of evidence in divorce and other family law matters because they often record a relatively unfiltered stream of communication. Unlike other forms of written communication, texting often involves a rapid exchange of short, spontaneous messages. As a result, people often do not take the time to reflect on what they are saying and revise potentially damaging messages before hitting "send."

Some people may also feel a false sense of security when texting because they can be more difficult to save and print than emails, not realizing that the messages they send can easily come back to haunt them later on. The AAML also reported a major uptick in the use of evidence from social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, where many spouses unwittingly immortalize their domestic spats and extramarital flirtations in electronic form.

People going through a divorce should take great care to keep their text messages, online posts and other electronic communications private, and should think twice before putting things in writing that could be used against them in family court. For help navigating the divorce process, contact an experienced family law attorney.

Article provided by Greenwald Law Offices
Visit us at http://www.greenwaldlaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Reports of Abuse Lead to Texas Juvenile Justice Overhaul

2012-09-15

The Texas Youth Commission's juvenile sexual and physical abuse scandal occurred back in 2007, but Texas is still experiencing its repercussions. Juvenile advocacy organizations called for reforms and lawmakers debated how to prevent such a scandal from happening again, resulting in significant policy changes aimed at getting the Texas juvenile justice system back on the right track. Juvenile Abuse Reports In 2007, there were widespread reports of physical and sexual offenses against teens at Texas juvenile correctional facilities operated by the now-defunct Commission. ...

Half of Georgia Home Sales Are on Foreclosed or Distressed Properties

2012-09-15

Throughout 2012 Georgia has consistently ranked at or near the top nationally in foreclosed properties, according to data from RealtyTrac, an online foreclosure database company. In May, Georgia led the nation in foreclosures, with one in 300 properties in foreclosure proceedings. The number represents a 15 percent increase from the same time last year. Foreclosures do not seem to be slowing down, either. In May, Georgia led the nation in foreclosures, and was third in June. Overall, foreclosures were up 3 percent from Q1 to Q2 in Georgia. However, the number of foreclosure ...

IRS Reviews Whistleblower Program to Encourage Future Participation

2012-09-15

Over the past five years, the Internal Revenue Service has received plenty of tips on delinquent taxpayers through its tax whistleblower program, but many of those tipsters have not been given what was promised to them -- a reward. As a result, the program has met harsh criticism from attorneys and politicians, prompting the IRS to promise a comprehensive review to improve the program. In contrast, the Securities and Exchange Commission's and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's whistleblower programs have seen early success, bearing fruit and yielding whistleblower ...

Can Bankruptcy Improve My Income Tax Problems?

2012-09-15

The dischargeability of income tax is one of the most complicated matters to assess in a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.greaterbostonlaw.com/Bankruptcy-Law/Bankruptcy-Chapter-7.shtml]personal bankruptcy[/url]. Therefore, you should never try to apply any rule you hear to your situation without the input of an experienced bankruptcy attorney...but If the return was due more than 3 years ago AND The return was actually filed more than two years ago AND The tax was assessed more than 240 days ago. The tax is probably dischargeable ...

Skilled Immigrant Workers Face Long Green Card Wait Times

2012-09-15

The U.S. immigration process for skilled workers is becoming more drawn out, according to a recent report by the research group National Foundation for American Policy. In its October 2011 analysis, the NFAP found that current wait times for employment-based green cards are projected to be about 5 to 8 years for many potential immigrants, with far longer waiting periods expected for certain others, depending on their preference category and country of origin. According to the projections, some potential immigrants from China and India may be required to wait as long ...

New Policy Postpones Deportation of Young Undocumented Immigrants

2012-09-15

With a controversial executive order announced earlier this summer, President Obama initiated changes to U.S. immigration policy that are intended to postpone indefinitely the deportation of young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, while also allowing them to receive employment authorization. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals On August 15, 2012, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service began accepting applications to the new program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The program is open to undocumented immigrants ...

CETCI Launches YES IMS Ten Channel IAQ Monitor

2012-09-15

Critical Environment Technologies Canada Inc. (CETCI) officially launches the YES Intelligent Monitoring System (IMS). YES IMS is a self-contained, indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring system with ten channel sensor capacity including relative humidity (RH) sensor, temperature sensor, up to seven additional gas sensors, and a remote gas sensor. Options include a fixed wall mount or a portable desktop version with a wide range of sensors to choose from, including a particulates, electrochemical, semi-conductor, infrared, and PID. The fixed wall mount version can be ...

VSSOD Corporation Appoints Senior Director of Product Development

2012-09-15

VSSOD Corporation, an independent provider of business agility software today announced the appointment of Dinesh K. Somani to the position of Senior Director of Product Development. Dinesh is an accomplished technology and finance professional who brings over two decades of experience to his new role at the company, where he is focused on architecting the next generation of VSSOD software solutions. Dinesh has a history of excellence in designing and building large scale complex software solutions across a wide range of industries, including financial securities, transaction ...

Payroll Service Provider Partners with Custom Software Development Company

2012-09-15

A custom software development company, Unique Solutions of Advanced Technologies, today announced that Unique Solutions has partnered with the payroll service provider, NZ Payroll Inc. With this announcement, Unique Solutions begins a joint venture alliance to increase profitability and improve the efficiency of businesses working with NZ Payroll Inc. Founded in 2006, Unique Solutions is a recognized leader in IT Solutions, helping local, national and global businesses to reduce business risk and maximize Return on Investment. It is Unique Solution's mission to provide ...

Daryl Tuffey Retires From All Cricket

2012-09-15

Tuffey has retired from all forms of cricket to concentrate on his work commitments with Moa Beer, and specifically to pursue a job opportunity in Australia. Tuffey represented Auckland Cricket, Northern Districts and New Zealand over the course of his career, picking up 77 test wickets and 110 ODI wickets in 123 international matches. He made his debut for Northern back in 1996/97 as an 18 year old, coincidentally against Auckland, before forcing his way into the BLACKCAPS in 1999/2000. That was the start of an 11 year career in the national team that involved ...

Divorce Cases Increasingly Involve Smartphone Evidence, Study Finds

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: