We’ve all seen details of celebrity divorces, whether accurate or not, splashed across the Internet, magazines and newspapers. However, you don’t have to be an actor, sports star or business mogul to be harmed by information about your divorce becoming public.
People who are well known in their communities or whose families have a long legacy there may be rightfully concerned about the need to preserve their professional and personal reputations. They also want to protect their children from being exposed to the financial, custody and other disputes between the divorcing spouses.
People concerned about divorce documents getting to the public should consult with their divorce attorney about the practices in their jurisdiction regarding the privacy of filings and proceedings. An experienced family law attorney can also offer advice and advocacy for things like sealing documents that can help protect privacy. One reason that many well-known couples prefer to settle their divorce out of court is to protect their children by keeping the details of the split out of the public eye as much as possible.
Of course, even if you take steps within the legal system to keep the documents and evidence presented in the divorce private, that’s no guarantee that an angry spouse won’t make them public. Whether true or not, claims of adultery, abuse, drug use and criminal activity can do lasting damage to a person’s life, reputation and career.
North Dakota family law attorneys can provide advice on how best to keep the details of your divorce private. They can advocate for their clients to help keep the proceedings and documents out of the public. If a spouse is making information public, your attorney may be able to argue for sanctions against him or her. Let your attorney know upfront that privacy is among your primary concerns so that he or she can work to protect it.
Source: Forbes, “Protecting Privacy In A Divorce” Russ Alan Prince, Dec. 08, 2014
