Spouse using emails to hurt career

[needhelp1975]

What is the name of your state? Pennsylvania

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question, but here goes......
If I accidentally left an email account open on my home computer and my spouse found sexually explicit emails in them confirming an affair, do I have any legal recourse if my spouse uses these emails to hurt my career (either by forwarding them to my colleagues or photocopying them and posting them around my workplace)?

 

[mlane58]

What is the name of your state? Pennsylvania

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question, but here goes......
If I accidentally left an email account open on my home computer and my spouse found sexually explicit emails in them confirming an affair, do I have any legal recourse if my spouse uses these emails to hurt my career (either by forwarding them to my colleagues or photocopying them and posting them around my workplace)?

Got caught with your pants down? hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, what illegally has she done? tell us, won't you.

 

[quincy]

If your spouse distributes the actual emails to your colleagues, it cannot be defamation, because truth is a defense to a defamation action, even if the emails turn out to be reputationally damaging to you and your career.

It could have been considered an invasion of privacy (publication of private facts) if your spouse had to search for these emails by accessing a private account, but you yourself made these private facts "public" by leaving the emails open for anyone to read (intentionally or not).

If your spouse is in line to collect child support and/or alimony from you, however, he/she would be wise not to sabotage your job but instead collect a perhaps larger-than-otherwise percentage from you every two weeks in support payments. As well as walking away with the lion's share of personal property. Marital misconduct and fault figure into awards.

This, of course, assumes he/she is planning on leaving you instead of forgiving you for your transgressions.

 

[needhelp1975]

How about if the email account was on the screen, but none of the emails were open. My spouse had to actively open the emails and forward them to several different email accounts for future access.

 

[quincy]

If your computer is a shared or family computer, it wouldn't make a difference. Your spouse would not be invading your privacy on a jointly-owned and jointly-used computer, as there is no expectation of privacy in that case.

If it was your own personal computer, a privacy action might be more feasible, but I doubt it would be successful. You gave your spouse, basically, permission to view the emails by providing easy access to the emails.

Opening the emails might have been unethical on the part of your spouse, but writing sexually-explicit emails to someone other than your spouse is a wee bit unethical, too - and grounds for a fault-based divorce in Pennsylvania.

 

[Bali Hai]

Got caught with your pants down? hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, what illegally has she done? tell us, won't you.

There is nothing in OP's post to suggest their gender!! You might have just as well written "Got caught with your dress UP"!!

I'll remember you!

 

[VeronicaLodge]

psst, bali, girls wear pants too