During an acrimonious divorce, it may seem like a good idea to get back at your ex by pulling a dirty trick or two. It can be extremely satisfying to get back at an ex-spouse for all the wrongs they committed during the marriage, but the truth is that trickery rarely leaves you with an advantage. During a divorce, you should resist the urge to be vengeful—because all too often, you'll be the one who ends up getting hurt. In this article, you will find some examples of what not to do during a divorce.
Getting Even by Taking Everything
If a client is considering leaving the marriage, and he or she knows that the other spouse will contest it, they may plan to sneak away. When a spouse leaves, he or she may decide to strike back by removing the entire contents of the home. Often, vengeful spouses may think that such behavior will teach the other person a lesson, but all it will do in most cases is provoke the other spouse into equally petty and spiteful acts.
Canceling Joint Credit Cards and Cleaning Out Bank Accounts
Some cases start out with hopes of an amicable resolution, but it can be unwise to wait to file. A spouse looking for revenge, especially one who's been the victim of infidelity, may resort to various financial manipulation tactics such as canceling credit cards or cleaning out joint bank accounts. While it may be momentarily satisfying to leave the other person "high and dry", all this tactic typically does is make the judge believe that money is your primary motivator.
Cutting Off Utilities
There are many dirty tricks to play during divorce, but this is one of the dirtiest. Lawyers have received countless phone calls from angry clients reporting that power and water have suddenly been cut off. Usually, such moves only create a vicious cycle where spouses continue to attack one another.
Intentionally Embarrassing the Other Spouse
Many angry spouses want to teach the other person a lesson by having summonses or subpoenas served at work or somewhere else that could result in embarrassment. Such gestures may result in temporary satisfaction, but they usually end in retaliatory actions.
Divorces can be messy, and they often bring out people's worst traits. Instead of doing things just to get back at your soon-to-be ex-spouse, you should ensure that everything you do is helping you move toward an equitable solution. By keeping divorce clean, you may not get much temporary satisfaction—but you'll have the moral high ground. If you have more questions about legal processes, check out firms like Warfield Darrah & Erdmann.
Share31 July 2015
When I began the divorce process, I knew that I wanted to change my name back to my maiden name. I no longer wanted to be associated with the family name of the man that I was divorcing. The problem was, I have three kids that all had their father's name. I wanted to know if I would be able to change their last names to my maiden name rather than having them carry that family's name for the rest of their lives. I found out a lot about what it would take and began working to create this blog to help other women wanting to do the same thing.
