Man forced to apologize to wife on Facebook during divorce

Cincinnati, OH- An Ohio judge has ordered a man to apologize for things he said about her during their divorce or face jail.

Mark Byron, a photographer was so upset about his divorce settlement and his child custody agreement that he vented his frustrations on Facebook.

Mark Byron and his ex-wife Elizabeth had a son in 2010, but things went bad for the couple, and they found that shortly after that they needed divorce attorneys. Elizabeth accused him of verbal abuse and threatening her with physical violence.

Byron was exonerated of any criminal charges, but he was instructed to stay away from his wife by court order. Byron has accused the courts of keeping him from visiting his son, so went on Facebook to air his grievances saying, “… if you are an evil, vindictive woman who wants to ruin your husband’s life and keep your son’s father away from him completely- all you need to do is say you are scared…” Since divorce lawyers often use information gathered from social websites, people involved in a contentious divorce should be careful what they say.

Elizabeth Byron heard of the post even though she was blocked from viewing his profile, and felt as though it violated the protective order. An Ohio judge said that Mark was in contempt and ordered him to post an apology on Facebook for thirty days or spend 60 days in jail.

Divorces are hard and it is no wonder that people feel the need to vent, but as this example shows that venting in a public arena can get a person in trouble and cause more headaches for a divorce attorney.