Our St. Louis readers are likely aware of the growing importance of Facebook and other social media sites in divorce cases. In March, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that around 80 percent of divorce cases over the last five years included evidence from social media posts. Because people share so much information on these websites which is relevant to divorce and other family law proceedings, they are increasingly becoming a source place to look for evidence to bolster a case.

In a divorce case in Connecticut, a judge recently ordered a couple to share their Facebook and other online account passwords. The order was issued after the husband found out his wife had written posts on Facebook regarding her feelings towards the couple's children and her ability to care for them.

In addition to sharing a Facebook password, the wife was also ordered to reveal her eHarmony and Match.com passwords.

Sometimes the information found on social media accounts is quite disturbing, as in Connecticut cases where a picture of a toddler standing by a coffee table with bags of marijuana and whiskey bottles, as well as a wad of money, were posted on Facebook.

Of course, divorce isn't the only area being impacted by social media like this, and attorneys are not the only group searching such sites for information.

Given its popularity, there is no doubt that social media will continue to have an impact on the way cases are tried and the types of issues that come up.

Source: Forbes, "Facebook Passwords Must Be Shared in Divorce Case," November 11, 2011.