By The Law Offices of Ronald H. Kauffman of Ronald H. Kauffman, P.A. posted in Divorce on Friday, August 21, 2015.
If you’re one of the few claiming not to know about the computer hacking of 37 million user accounts on the cheating site AshleyMadison.com, you’re probably lying. What does the hacking mean for divorce?
Many commenters are predicting that the exposure of millions of Ashley Madison’s members (no pun intended) to the public will lead to a crush of divorces. However, there are reasons to doubt that wisdom.
Having actual proof of an affair can be helpful in divorce. In fact, Florida law specifically provides that evidence of an extra-marital affair can be a factor in determining the amount of alimony, if any, to be awarded.
However, proof that your spouse had an affair does not always mean a better settlement or judgment in your favor. As I’ve written before, no-fault divorce is the law in Florida, and judges don’t spend a lot of time pondering why you are divorcing.
That doesn’t mean evidence of an affair is not relevant. Some prenuptial agreements have infidelity clauses and other morals clauses which may be enforceable to an extent in Florida courts.
Additionally, spouses who introduce their secret boyfriend or girlfriend to the kids, or spend time with potential hookups while with the children, are not going to win a prize as ‘parent of the year’.
The recent hacking and posting of AshleyMadison customer information will be big news. Here, tens of millions of people doing business on the web, who expected the highest level of privacy that the commercial web offers, found out the internet is not so secure to do business on.
But it may not be the marriage killer people predict.