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When a couple decides to separate, the decision may be either sudden or it may have been imminent for quite some time. Because each divorce is unique, it comes as no surprise that individuals respond differently to this decision and to the stresses of the process. Oftentimes, if divorce has been looming for months or years, newly single individuals find empowerment by jumping back into the dating pool.
This decision may or may not be the best choice for you personally. However, even if dating during the divorce process is a healthy choice for you, you should approach it with caution. According to a survey recently conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), more and more attorneys are seeking evidence on dating websites to be used during divorce and child custody litigation.
When you join a dating website, you generally must post certain information on your profile. If you are at all dishonest or otherwise present yourself and your current occupational, financial, relationship and parental statuses in inaccurate ways, this evidence could potentially be used by your spouse’s attorney during your divorce or child custody proceedings.
Searching online activity is one of the most easily accessible tools that divorce attorneys have to make their cases. As a result, you must be extremely careful to be honest, forthcoming and otherwise present yourself accurately online. Failure to do so could be used as evidence against your character.
Dating can be a healthy response to divorce in certain contexts. However, it is important that you be honest in your quest for love, as dishonesty of any stripe could affect your divorce settlement or child custody dispute.
Source: AAML.org, “Dating Websites Providing More Divorce Evidence Says Survey: Nation’s Top Matrimonial Lawyers Cite Match.com as Most Common Source,” Feb. 11, 2013
