Belly Dancing Ends NYC Woman's Disability Claim
Facebook is a known problem when it comes to divorce, but personal blogs aren't any better.
Dorothy McGurk has learned this the hard way. The belly dancing blogger is in hot water after her ex-husband discovered that she isn't actually disabled--a claim that netted her $850 a month and the house during their divorce.
McGurk was injured in a 1997 car accident which left her with two rods in her back, reports Gothamist. Unable to work, she was awarded lifetime alimony and the house when she divorced her ex-husband.
It turns out that Dorothy McGurk might not be as disabled as she claims.
McGurk is in fact a belly dancing blogger. She runs a website, which according to Gothamist, includes pictures of her dancing and a statement that she has danced every day for the past three years.
However, McGurk claims that she was merely moving her arms in the pictures, and practices belly dancing as a form of "gentle physical therapy."
Or, as she puts it, she undulates.
After finding out that his ex is a belly dancing blogger, Brian McGurk went to court to change the divorce settlement. The judge ordered Dorothy McGurk to sell her home and transfer 60% of the proceeds to her ex, reports the Daily News. She's also on the hook for his legal fees.
The case of the belly dancing blogger is not only a cautionary tale about divorce and the internet, but also serves as a reminder that if you lie in divorce court, you will be held liable if found out.
And let's just say that thus far, Dorothy McGurk is lucky she hasn't been charged with fraud.
Related Resources:
- Belly dancing sinks NYC woman's disability claim (Associated Press)
- Spousal Support (Alimony) (FindLaw)
- Facebook Divorce: Evidence from Wall posts (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)
- Tweeting or Facebooking Divorce: Beware the Private Info You Broadcast (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)