Metro

Couple forced to exchange Facebook passwords during divorce

Breaking up just got harder to do — thanks to a Connecticut judge who ordered a soon-to-be divorced couple to exchange their Facebook passwords.

The legal precedent, in the midst of a nasty custody battle between Stephen and Courtney Gallion, could mean more battling couples will be forced to give up their social-networking secrets.

High-powered divorce lawyer Raoul Felder said the “overwhelming majority” of divorce cases today involve some online element, and this case illustrates how password-protected musings can make you vulnerable in your love life — and in a courtroom.

“This is a brave new world. You’re going to see this more and more,” he said. “If you’re going to use the Internet and you’re in a relationship, you’re going to have to do it very carefully — like two rhinoceroses making love,” Felder said.

Stephen Gallion, a 24-year-old petty officer second class at the Navy submarine base in New London, became suspicious of his wife’s behavior around their two children when he spied some of her online comments.

“She left the computer on, and he went online and there it was,” said Gary Traystman, Stephen Gallion’s divorce lawyer. “He saw . . . comments related to her parenting, or lack of parenting. There were comments that led him to believe her social life was more important than her children . . . She was using pictures of the children on the dating site.”

That led Traystman to ask the wife for her passwords during a deposition at his Norwalk law offices.

Courtney Gallion, 22, provided them, but moments later, in the middle of the deposition, frantically texted a friend to have the passwords changed.

“I advised her to change it,” said Lindsay Savona, her attorney.

When Traystman realized what was going on, he ushered his client out of the conference room and the client immediately tried to log on to one of her sites on his smartphone. But the password was changed. Traystman then rushed to fax a request to a judge to bar Courtney Gallion from destroying her online info.

The injunction was granted in a matter of minutes, and in the end both lawyers agreed to exchange passwords for Facebook and dating sites.

Courtney Gallion isn’t happy about giving up personal records.

“My privacy was completely invaded,” she said. “It’s embarrassing to have someone read messages that you thought were private and confidential.”

Savona said Judge Kenneth Shluger ordered that online information be produced during discovery, but has not yet admitted it as evidence.

“The case is not over,” Savona said. “It hasn’t been before the court, and it hasn’t been allowed into court yet.”