Don’t Throw a Curveball Divorce at Your Spouse and Expect It Not to Hurt
Many divorced people will tell you that time stood still when they came home from work after what they thought was a normal day and found a divorce petition taped to the door. Yes, they were living separately from their spouse, and the couple’s inability to get along with each other was a major reason for that; they knew divorce was a possibility, but seeing their own name listed as one party is a legal proceeding and their spouse’s name listed as the other party is always a shock. The number of divorce petitions that people file without notifying their spouses first seems to be increasing; the Internet is calling the phenomenon “curveball divorce.” Being on the receiving end of a curveball divorce petition is as painful as it sounds. Yes, your spouse hurt you, and your relationship is probably beyond repair, but you didn’t expect it to be today, and you didn’t expect it to hurt this much. You may or may not decide to tell your spouse that you plan to file a divorce petition before you do it, but in either case, before you file the petition, you should contact a Boca Raton divorce lawyer.
Why Would Someone Choose to Surprise Their Spouse With Divorce Papers?
Surprising your spouse with divorce papers sets the stage for a battle. Your spouse might also do something surprising, like closing your bank account or deleting all the contacts in your phone. When people initiate a curveball divorce, they do it because they have thought about all the alternatives, and they seem worse. Maybe they previously told their spouse that they wanted a divorce, but their spouse refused to listen. They might not have wanted to give their spouse a chance to do the things their spouse threatened to do if they filed for divorce.
Know What You Are Getting Into With Contested Divorce
If you throw a curveball divorce petition at your spouse, the case proceeds, from a legal perspective, like any other divorce case. Your spouse has just over a month to file a response to the divorce petition. Give your spouse a chance to react to the surprise; encourage your spouse to hire a divorce lawyer, if you are still on speaking terms. Once your spouse files the response, your case will go to mediation, where your lawyer and your spouse’s lawyer will negotiate about the details of your division of property and, if you have minor children, your parenting plan. In other words, curveball divorce almost always starts out ugly, but curveball divorce cases are no more likely and no less likely to go to trial than other contested divorce cases.
Contact Schwartz | White About Filing a Divorce Petition When Only One of You Is Ready for Divorce
A South Florida family law attorney can help you if you are considering surprising your spouse with a curveball divorce petition. Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.
Source:
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