Some legal experts are suggesting that a concept known as an “anonymous divorce” may be fast becoming the desired method for high-profile couples to end their marriages.
Many politicians, business owners and others concerned about protecting their public images have increasingly chosen this approach to divorce during the past two decades. With these types of cases, divorce petitions are often filed as Anonymous vs. Anonymous, instead of the two spouse’s names being referenced.
Other legal experts warn that these anonymous filings are slowly fading in popularity though. While 20 years ago, everyone wasn’t yet accustomed to looking up things on the internet, an anonymous filing might have helped maintain the privacy of filers. More widespread access to the internet nowadays makes it difficult for anyone to remain anonymous.
In one recent instance, a disgraced politician in New York and his wife attempted to file for divorce using the anonymous parties approach. It didn’t take those in the media long before they were able to pieces together the details and dates contained in filing to easily determine what high-profile couple it belonged to. At the couple’s next hearing in front of a family court judge, media and other members of the public showed up.
Within weeks, the couple had released a public statement acknowledging that they’d withdrawn their previously filed divorce petition. They noted that they’d decided to pursue a different, perhaps more private, approach to ending their marriage.
This example leads many legal experts to conclude that by listing the parties as anonymous, it may actually attract more attention than doing the complete opposite.
If you are a member of a high-profile couple, then you may feel inclined to want to protect yourself from your acquaintances, business prospects and others from being able to easily find out personal details about you. If you’re seeking a way to keep your divorce or child custody negotiations private, then a Fort Myers divorce attorney can advise you of the options available to you.
Source: Town and Country Magazine, “Is anonymous divorce the future of high-profile breakups?,” Leena Kim, Jan. 12, 2018
