If you wish to use your spouse’s affair(s) as grounds for a hostile divorce, then it’s important to gather as much evidence as possible both before taking your case to court. Usually, a hostile divorce involves infidelity. While you may struggle to create a water-tight case against your spouse, most divorces involve situational evidence, records of conversations, and other innocuous examples that, together, form a picture. The trick is to find the most compelling evidence, and that doesn’t always appear where you might expect. So, here are three kinds of evidence you should collect for a hostile divorce. Make sure to check with your South Carolina lawyer to make sure there are no specific restrictions in your county or district.
Emails and Text Messages
We share a lot of vital information through emails and texts, and it takes a degree of paranoia to regularly delete personal correspondence. Even if a spouse has recently wiped their phone, there may be information remaining in the Cloud. Text messages and emails establish plans, provide dates, and often provide graphic details of a tryst. The modern phenomenon of “sexting” has only made this evidence more explicit.
Suspicious Purchases
This kind of evidence is easiest to collect when you share joint bank accounts, credit cards, and debit cards. While even one of these can provide the evidence you need, the more financial information you have access to, the better. Review whatever joint financial information you have. Look through previous transactions with the same scrutiny you would use in a case of suspected identity fraud. Are there unusually large purchases? Are there items on your statements that don’t make sense? While large purchases like jewelry are easy to spot, you can also examine the restaurant bills and their associated dates. The same is, of course, also true for hotels and travel arrangements.
Social Media
Social media, one of the newest ways to catch infidelity, offers a window into your spouse’s daily life. As many reports, studies, and frauds have shown, people do not think carefully enough before sharing personal details on social media. It’s very common for romantic partners to share posts with pet names, pictures, and other revealing details without realizing that their spouse or their spouse’s friends can see these posts. The dates of these posts can help create a timeline for your case, and they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Aggressive and threatening language against you from your spouse also makes key evidence for your case. Even if you are not trapped in an abusive relationship, spouses can often demonstrate why you fear them via social media websites. Pay special attention to hashtags and emojis on websites like Twitter and Facebook as they can change the entire tone of a post.
Together, these pieces of evidence create a timeline of infidelity. The content and variety of evidence you provide can also establish a pattern of behavior. There is nothing more condemning than getting proof of a spouse’s infidelity straight from their profile page. It’s difficult to prove what goes on behind closed doors, but evidence of your spouse’s actions rarely stays completely hidden. Often, the places we feel most comfortable expressing ourselves are the most public spaces online. With the help of a South Carolina lawyer, however, you can hold your spouse accountable.
