That Text Could End Up in Court- Seriously!

When most people think about legal evidence, they picture signed contracts or dramatic courtroom cross-examinations; but text messages, emails, and even social media posts can play a major role in legal cases. In family law cases, text messages are often used to show patterns of communication, parenting behavior, or agreements made outside of court.

In criminal cases, screenshots or message history can support an alibi-or contradict a claim. In civil litigation, texts can serve as written evidence of business agreements, harassment, or negligence. But here’s the catch….for a message to be used in court it must be 1) authenticated (proven to be from who you say it is) 2) relevant to the case 3) not overly edited or manipulated.

Digital communication moves fast, but the law is catching up. Whether you’re protecting yourself in a contract dispute or navigating a child custody battle, your smartphone may hold key evidence. So, if you’re ever involved in a legal matter, DON’T DELETE YOUR TEXTS OR MESSAGES (from messaging apps such as Messenger) .