If you are divorcing a spouse who has decided to give you a hard time, there are myriad things they can do to prolong your divorce and even make it costlier. Here are examples of unnecessary actions that may prolong a divorce:
Filing Multiple Motions and Hearings
During a divorce, one of the partners may have a pressing issue that they need the court to rule on before they can proceed with the divorce. For example, if you feel that it is in your kids' best interest to live with you during the divorce, you may file a motion to get temporary custody of the kids. Unfortunately, some spouses abuse this privilege by filing motion after motion, some even unnecessary, and the court has no option but to hear them out. The more motions your partner files, the longer your divorce will take.
Being Combative
A combative spouse who is out to frustrate you will do anything to lengthen the process with the hope that you will either give in to their demands or waste "your money" in the process (even though they also end up wasting more money).
In most divorce cases, the couple agrees on some issues and only go to court for the most controversial ones. However, if your partner is out to frustrate you, they may disagree with you on almost all issues, increasing the number of issues the court has to handle, and this effectively lengthens the divorce period.
Withholding Financial Information
Lastly, your spouse may also scuttle your desire for a fast divorce by withholding financial information from you. During a divorce, each person is expected to provide full financial disclosure and produce relevant supporting documents. Examples of these documents include all sources of income, a list of all assets and debts, tax incomes, and copies of property deeds, among others.
These documents are needed to help with asset division, debt division, child support, spousal support, and other money-related issues. Therefore, a spouse who decides to withhold the information prolongs the divorce because you have to go to court and get the judge to compel your partner to produce the documents.
Therefore, if you suspect that your spouse is going to be difficult to deal with, take preemptive measures against these unnecessary distractions. For example, you can start gathering financial documents before announcing your intentions to divorce. Consult an attorney's office like Reagan, Melton, & Delaney LLP as early as possible so that they advise you on how to prepare for your potentially complicated divorce.
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