Divorce and Delay Tactics
There’s just no way around it—divorce is a very stressful time for everyone involved. Further, a Texas divorce is not a speedy process, so there’s plenty of time for the stress to escalate. Unfortunately, a divorcing spouse will sometimes take advantage of the situation and try to make things even more difficult for his or her future ex. One such tactic is unnecessary delays, which prolong the already difficult divorce process, amp up anxiety about the unknown (because a pending divorce is one great big unknown), and make the divorce costlier. In other words, delay tactics are a dirty trick.
Delay Tactics
A divorce can provoke stress and anxiety, and it can drive otherwise reasonable people to do some pretty unreasonable things. The motivations behind these actions can include the desire to punish the soon-to-be-ex by dragging things out, the adoption of a scorched earth policy (If I can’t have it, no one can), and the pursuit of financial gain (to continue receiving temporary spousal support for example). There are a variety of delay tactics in the divorce arsenal:
- Avoiding service of divorce papers in the first place
- Frequently changing attorneys or changing attorneys at inopportune times
- Not responding or responding incompletely to requests for discovery
- Not showing up for depositions or mediation
- Bringing unnecessary motions
- Forgettingto sign documents
- Not being available for phone calls, emails, or other forms of communication
- Frequent rescheduling
While things do naturally come up, when a divorcing spouse purposefully delays the process, it’s not only frustrating but also costly. Your experienced divorce attorney will work with your spouse’s attorney to attempt to rectify the situation and to move your proceedings forward.
The Court’s Intervention
Sometimes, unfortunately, no amount of intervention on your attorney’s part will help. In fact, divorce can turn someone you knew and loved into someone you can’t possibly fathom. If your soon-to-be-ex simply won’t give up the delay tactics that relate to mediation or to complying with a deposition, the presiding judge can intervene on your behalf:
- By requiring your ex to cover the cost of additional attorney fees and other related costs
- By setting a date by which the deposition(s) and mediation must be completed
- By sanctioning your ex if he or she fails to comply with these orders
By the time you get to the stage of court intervention, however, plenty of time’s already been squandered. Suffice to say that sometimes divorce brings out the worst in people.
Consult a Richmond, Texas, Divorce Attorney Today
Divorce is never easy, and even a relatively quick divorce can feel like it drags on forever. If your soon-to-be ex is dragging out the process on purpose, things become still more burdensome; you need experienced legal counsel. Attorney Frank J. Vendt at The Vendt Law Firm, P.L.L.C., in Richmond, Texas, is committed to protecting your rights while efficiently guiding your divorce toward its most positive conclusion. To schedule a consultation with Mr. Vendt, please contact or call our office at (832) 276-9474 today.
