News of the split between Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise shocked the world, leaving entertainment gossip fanatics wondering about how Suri and Scientology influenced the breakup.
But there is one detail that is not widely known about the divorce – which was finalized in a mere 11 days after Holmes filed the papers: Holmes was able to work out many of the details about the divorce with her attorneys thanks to a disposable cell phone that she received from a friend.
Although a cell phone can be helpful when it’s used as a discreet way to hammer out the details of a divorce with your attorneys, it can also play an instrumental part in many divorce cases.
According to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 92 percent of divorce attorneys in the association reported seeing an increase in the number of divorce cases in recent years that had evidence taken from iPhones, Droids and other smart phones. In addition, 94 percent of the attorneys surveyed said that there has been a dramatic increase in text message evidence used in divorce cases.
Similarly, the increase in the use of social media has also resulted in an upswing in the amount of divorce cases that include evidence taken from these sites. In fact, 81 percent of lawyers reported that the use of evidence taken from social networking sites has increased, and 66 percent said that they view Facebook pages first when looking for evidence in a case.
Source: NY Daily News, “Katie used disposable cell to plot divorce,” Erik Ortiz, July 11, 2012.
