If you have been suffering through an unhappy marriage for months or even years, it may be incredibly liberating when you finally separate from your spouse and are able to live freely on your own. However, it is important to remember that all of your actions could potentially affect the outcome of your child custody case. One example of this is overnight guests, as discussed in a recent Huffington Post article.

Of course, there are potential emotional implications of having overnight guests during a divorce or even after it is finalized. Seeing new adults spend the night in their home can be confusing for kids at a time when they may already be struggling to understand the split. Most Buffalo parents are well aware of this, and don’t take it lightly when they decide to have overnights.

Perhaps more importantly, however, are the potential legal implications of overnight guests. During your divorce hearing, your ex could easily bring in evidence of your overnight stays in an attempt to show that your decisions are not in your kids’ best interests (regardless of the actual context of and circumstances surrounding your overnights).

Even if your overnight guest is someone with whom you are in a long-term relationship, your divorce case could be affected. That person may be asked to undergo an evaluation to determine whether he or she is fit to be around your children, and the outcome of that could determine the outcome of your custody case.

But this does not mean that you should lie to your ex or attempt to hide your significant other from the court. If and when you are found out, your situation could become much more complicated.

Source: Huffington Post, “How Overnight Dates Could Seriously Damage Your Child Custody Case,” Lenore Skonal, March 10, 2014