The very public divorces of celebrities are popular material for gossip websites and magazines. But they are still very real and emotionally complicated events for those involved. Known in the legal world as “high asset divorces,” these situations can easily spin out of control, leaving the divorced couple scrambling for help.
We’ve all heard the warnings about pre-nuptial agreements, but what if you don’t have one to fall back on? There are several strategic moves you can make to avoid undue penalties and public scandal.
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Think hard about what you say about your ex, both publicly and privately. Think about what could be repeated, not just amongst your friends and family. Anything you say to anyone can come back to haunt you in a tweet, a Facebook post, or an online gossip site. And you could be penalized for it in the settlement.
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Avoid “vaguebooking” and “vaguetweeting.” Anything you say or share online can be easily shared. So even if you don’t explicitly name your ex in a post or a tweet, others can quickly take a screen shot of your post and re-post it elsewhere.
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Remember that you have others to protect. If you own a business or are responsible for one, your business partners will likely be affected by your divorce, too. Property division can be a lengthy process, so you will want to practice restraint and be conscious of all the parties involved.
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Consider mediation. Privacy and speediness are among the many benefits of mediation. It allows you to have better control over what information is shared with the court, thereby keeping the details of the split out of the public record.
In the event that there is no pre-nuptial agreement in place before a marriage takes place, couples can still maintain control over their privacy during a divorce. What’s most important is that you retain good legal counsel that helps you troubleshoot potential publicity leaks and unnecessary gossip.