Can online cheating be grounds for a divorce in NJ?
Posted July 22nd, 2015 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Family Law.
We all know online dating is huge business. From eHarmony to Match.com, you’ve probably had a few friends who found their lifelong mate through one of these websites. But now you don’t have to be single to date online, and causing many problems.
Recently, the online dating website Ashley Madison had been hacked. Attackers have taken large caches of data from the site, which allows users to cheat on their spouses. The company behind Ashley Madison had offered to erase a user’s profile if they paid a fee of $20. However, the hackers had claimed the company had lied about deleting profiles and had leaked some user information online.
Obviously the motives of the hackers are to blackmail but the incident does bring up a good question about sites such as Ashley Madison. If you are caught cheating online, is this grounds for divorce in New Jersey? In the scenario of Ashley Madison, where people will meet in real life to cheat, you can divorce your mate on the grounds of adultery. But let’s say your caught your spouse speaking with someone rather intimately online. Although your spouse and the other party swear they have never met in real life, is this considered adultery?
It’s hard to say. New Jersey is one of the states that have a no-fault divorce grounds, which means if you have been separated for a period of time you do not need grounds to get a divorce. So even if your spouse claims not be having an affair with that online “friend,” you may consider the no-fault divorce option in the future.
If you are considering a divorce and in need of a good attorney, we can help. Contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone today for a free consultation.
