How to Avoid 11 Common Tricks During a Divorce
Couples going through a divorce often feel threatened and angry. The severe emotional pain can start them thinking about getting even with their spouse by playing some dirty tricks on him/her.
What can you do when this happens? Be prepared by knowing common dirty divorce tricks and how to deal with them.
1. Hiding Money
Everyone worries that their spouse is hiding money. The best way to avoid this dirty trick is to hire a forensic accountant to analyze your financial records and look for evidence of missing money. If you find evidence, bring it up in a joint collaborative session so you can resolve the issue.
2. Spying on You
There are several ways a spouse can spy on you. They can hack your computer or smart phone, hire a private detective, or install a “keystroke program” on your computer. There are two ways to thwart this tactic. Never to put anything compromising on your computer and have your equipment checked by a technician.
3. Limiting Access to Money
Another favorite dirty trick is to drain the joint bank accounts and place community funds in a separate account. Many jurisdictions have standing orders limiting behavior. To avoid the problems, withdraw half the community funds and place the money in a separate account.
4. Asking for Custody of The Children
Sometimes, a husband will threaten his wife into settling on more favorable financial terms by trying to gain primary custody of the kids. Many wives are willing to settle for less to retain primary custody of the children. Avoid this problem by offering shared custody up front.
5. Alleging Abuse
Some spouses will falsely accuse their mate of physical or sexual abuse to get the other party out of the house, gain primary custody of the children, and force supervised visitation. False abuse allegations are serious. You can’t avoid them if your spouse decides to pay really dirty, but you can fight back by hiring a forensic psychiatrist to evaluate the family and prove the allegations are false.
6. Stripping the House
Some spouses move everything out of the house before they file for divorce. This may feel really good, but will make your spouse angry and set up a reimbursement claim for the personal property you took. You will end up with stuff you don’t want and have less cash.
7. Cancelling the Credit Cards
If you don’t have your own credit cards, but rely on being a signatory on your spouse’s credit cards, he/she can cancel them and leave you out in the cold. To avoid this problem, take out credit cards in your own name prior to filing for divorce so you won’t be left without credit when you need it.
8. Cancelling the Utilities
A common dirty divorce trick is to ask the utility companies to shut off water, electricity, phone, and TV before you leave the home. This is annoying, childish, and easy to fix. To avoid the problem, call the utility companies and warn them that you are in the middle of a divorce and ask them not to turn off the utilities without checking first.
9. Moving the Kids Out of State
Removing the kids to another state so your spouse can’t visit them might seem like a good idea, but it can backfire. Judges are not amused when a spouse interferes with a parent’s right to see his/her children. It can lead to loss of primary custody and geographical restrictions.
10. Conflicting Out the Top Attorneys in Town.
In every county, there are only a handful of really first-rate divorce attorneys. If your spouse makes appointments with all of them and spends an hour sharing confidential information, you won’t be able to hire any of these top attorneys to help with his/her divorce. To avoid this problem, call some top attorneys at the first sign of marital trouble and make an appointment with two or three.
11. Running Up Debts
Just before they file for divorce, your spouse might go on a shopping spree and buy new clothes, that sports car he always wanted, or a special piece of jewelry for his paramour. The debt will be a community liability, but the buyer can keep the property because it belongs to them personally unless you discover the jewelry was for his paramour. How does someone prevent this?
There are many dirty divorce tricks unscrupulous attorneys and their clients use to get even during a divorce. I don’t recommend using these dirty tricks because they may backfire and increase the expense of the divorce for no financial gain.
Getting even may seem worth it, but you should recognize that it’s a costly and meaningless victory.
