Facebook Cited in 33% of Divorces

Flirting, cheating ways often uncovered online
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 31, 2011 5:02 PM CST
Facebook Cited in 33% of Divorces: Law Firm
Spouses find out each other's secrets on Facebook.   (AP Photo/dapd, Joerg Koch)

All that flirting on Facebook is leading to a sad but hardly surprising outcome: divorce. One-third of divorce filings based on unreasonable behavior are citing Facebook these days, and such filings are up by half over the past two years, says the law firm Divorce-Online. "People contact ex-partners and the messages start as innocent, but lead to trouble," says Mark Keenan, the firm's managing director. "If someone wants to have an affair or flirt with the opposite sex then it’s the easiest place to do it."

The most common Facebook-related grievances: spouses writing flirtatious messages or appearing in photos that reveal a breach of marital trust, the Daily Mail reports. "If you are complaining that they have a drinking problem and they have posted statuses about going out on the razzle ... that could be used," one lawyer says. Keenan's advice to spouses is simple: Be careful what you post on Facebook. (More Facebook stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X