Glossary of Digital Evidence Terms for Family Law Cases
A plain-language reference for the terms that tend to come up once text messages become part of a legal or family situation — no jargon assumed.
Native export
The chat history pulled directly from the messaging app itself (WhatsApp, iMessage, etc.) using its own export or backup feature — as opposed to a screenshot or a photo of the screen. A native export preserves timestamps, sender information, and the full conversation in one file.
Metadata
The information attached to a message beyond the words themselves — when it was sent, who sent it, which device, sometimes read receipts. A screenshot typically strips this out; a native export keeps it intact.
Chain of custody
The trail showing how a piece of evidence moved from its original source to wherever it's being presented, and who had access to it along the way. Fewer hops — and fewer copies, forwards, and re-saves — generally means an easier trail to account for.
Authentication
Establishing that a piece of evidence actually is what it's claimed to be — that a given export really is the conversation between two specific people, unaltered. Requirements and standards for this vary by court and jurisdiction.
Redaction
Removing or obscuring specific information from a document before it's shared or filed — for example, blacking out a phone number, address, or an unrelated third party's name.
Behavioral pattern analysis
Looking at a conversation as a whole to identify recurring dynamics — like stonewalling, gaslighting, or coercive control — rather than reading it message by message. A pattern is something that repeats consistently, not something visible in a single text.
DARVO
Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender — a term describing a specific sequence where something is denied, the person who noticed gets attacked, and the roles of victim and offender end up reversed by the end of the exchange.
Coercive control
A pattern of controlling behavior — isolation, monitoring, financial restriction, intimidation — that establishes power over another person over time, rather than through a single incident. A growing number of states explicitly recognize this pattern in family law and domestic violence statutes.
Exhibit
A specific piece of evidence formally submitted as part of a legal proceeding, typically labeled and referenced by that label (e.g., "Exhibit A") going forward.
Health score
Verity's summary metric for an analyzed conversation — a single number reflecting the overall pattern mix detected across the thread, meant as a quick orientation point rather than a legal conclusion.
This is general information, not legal advice. Terminology and requirements vary by court and jurisdiction — talk to an attorney about what applies to your specific situation.
Turn your export into a structured report
Upload your export and get a free health score in minutes — the analysis runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Get your free health score →