I had a surprising phone call today with an old friend. He has been in the divorce process for almost a year, and could not see a way to conclude the process and get on with his life. The reason, sadly, is because his wife won’t let him. After all of these years of letting her call the shots, he is still thinking that what he needs to do is follow her orders and she will cooperate with him.
He is mistaken.
When the wife told him that she wanted a divorce, he hired a mediator and filed the papers. They went through the financial discovery process and decided what the state guidelines would most likely order him to pay on support. The wife told him that the number was too low, so he increased it by $500 per month. Then she told him to move out, and he did.
So, the situation became a perfect one for the wife: her bills are paid, she does not have to live with her husband, but neither is he free to move on. Every time the two of them have been scheduled to appear in front of a judge to report on their progress, the wife has declined to attend. When the husband has tried to encourage the wife to go to court, to meet with mediators, or to sign an agreement, she has declined. When he insists, she threatens to hire a lawyer.
Now, we all know why he would rather not push her. Hiring an attorney is an expensive and daunting proposition. The only thing worse than hiring your own lawyer is paying for the opposing party’s lawyer. So, out of fear, he backs off. And stays married. And pays more than a judge would likely order. Because he is waiting for his wife to act reasonably. For the first time in 20 years. I told him I thought that it was an unlikely scenario.
The truth of the matter is that sometimes the good guy just has to be the bad guy. It is not fair to my friend, or his children, or even his wife, for their divorce to drag out this long. They are living in a state of perpetual limbo and no one is truly happy. I walked him through a little of the procedure for what he needs to do to get in front of a judge, without lawyers, and ask for a divorce. My friend is looking for a reasonable breakdown of assets and liabilities, and – frankly – so is the judge. The court is not trying to punish anyone. In a no fault state, the job of the judges is to help everyone who needs a divorce get the most fair and equitable divorce possible, in a reasonable time frame.
I hope my friend uses the advice I gave him as an opportunity to take the power away from his wife and let the divorce finish. He will be happier, and so will his family. He will have to wait a very long time if he wants to wait for her approval. I just don’t think it is coming.
What We Love – The laws are in place to protect society’s interest in everyone getting a fair and equitable outcome in their divorce, as much as possible. You do not have to wait for your angry spouse to come to her senses. There is a court system in place to do that for her.
Love Your Divorce 