Divorce and Dirty Tricks
Divorce is never easy. It is often stressful and fraught with emotions, and your soon-to-be-ex may very well surprise you by how low he or she is willing to stoop in the process. It’s in your best interest to enter the divorce process with your eyes wide open. While certainly not every divorcing spouse engages in nefarious practices, it’s still a good idea to protect yourself and prepare for a low blow—should it come. For this reason, anyone who is considering ending a marriage should speak to a Katy divorce attorney as soon as possible.
Your Resources During Divorce
The highly effective and relatively simple dirty trick of keeping you from resources that are rightfully yours during the divorce process can include a variety of techniques:
- Emptying your joint bank accounts
- Removing you from joint credit cards
- Refusing to contribute to household expenses
- Canceling critical services and/or utilities in your home
If your spouse engages in any of these, you are likely to experience significant negative repercussions. Fortunately, the involvement of an attorney may be able to prevent these things from occurring and help deal with them successfully if they already have. In many divorces, courts issue temporary orders in order to prevent this type of conduct from occurring.
Riding the Wave
If your spouse is so vindictive that he or she is willing to stoop to dirty tricks, then he or she is likely to go for maximum impact. Imagine, for instance, if you find out that your credit card has been canceled while you’re trying to use it on a trip out of town. The mayhem that surrounds the divorce process makes it that much more difficult to deal with the inconvenience and financial hardship generated by these underhanded actions.
Your Spouse’s Nefarious Goal
If your spouse is taking financial potshots at you, the goal may be to squeeze you into accepting a lowball settlement in haste—out of desperation. When you’re in the middle of a divorce and you can’t pay your bills and you see no relief in sight, settling for less than you deserve right now may seem like the best option. Such an action, however, plays directly into your spouse’s hands. Your experienced divorce attorney will help you explore viable options for weathering this storm—including asking the court to order that your spouse pay temporary spousal support. It helps to know that the court rarely looks favorably on a party who is willing to engage in divorce trickery.
An Ounce of Prevention
If you’re being denied financial resources, it can be very difficult to move forward with your divorce, which takes time and money. The best way forward may be to borrow money or to access a line of credit in the meantime. If you suspect that you may be heading into a divorce, implementing an ounce of prevention in the form of a separate bank account and a line of credit in your own name is a great place to start. While your spouse may never sink to such tactics, it’s a good idea to expect the unexpected when it comes to divorce.
If Your Spouse Is Engaging in Divorce Dirty Tricks, You Need an Experienced Katy, Texas, Divorce Lawyer
Divorce is difficult. Dirty tricks make it more so. Attorney Frank J. Vendt at The Vendt Law Firm, P.L.L.C., in Katy, Texas, has the dedication, experience, and compassion to fight for your rights and for your rightful divorce settlement. To schedule a consultation with Mr. Vendt, please contact or call our office at (832) 276-9474 today.