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Divorce Without the Paparazzi
You may not have hordes of paparazzi camped outside your door trying to capture your every move and utterance, ready to broadcast it to the world, but you might as well when you get a divorce. In most states, anyone can sit in the courtroom and watch and listen to your divorce hearings and trial. In fact, there are usually other litigants and attorneys in the courtroom waiting for their turn to be called before the judge. Then there are the people who just enjoy the drama of court, who sit in the audience hoping for a juicy tidbit to share with friends.
The majority of states put courthouse records online where personal information from your divorce is available to casual web surfers, data collectors, identity thieves and the media. With some exceptions, anyone can go to your local courthouse and view your complete court divorce file. Every angry word, every ill-considered statement, every embarrassing accusation, even your private financial information – if it’s part of your court record, it’s available for all to see — and use. Even if you and your spouse settle before you go to trial, as many divorces do, all the information entered into the court record becomes part of the court file and is available for public scrutiny.
Because it takes place entirely outside the court system, collaborative divorce files can never become part of the public record. When an agreement is reached, your collaborative attorney needs to file only the barest minimum of information required by law to record your divorce. To the maximum degree permitted by law, your personal affairs and information are protected and remain private. Something to think about.
