Can In-Laws Ruin Your Divorce?

Even in couples who are committed to staying together, in-laws are a frequent source of conflict.  Some divorced people who, to this day, think of their spouse as the one that got away and wish that they could have done something to save their marriage, will admit that they do not miss their spouse’s relatives.  Others are sworn enemies of their former spouses but still harbor fond memories of their former in-laws and may even maintain a relationship with them.  Some people decide to get divorced because, no matter how much they might love their spouse, they can no longer tolerate their spouse’s family, and once they file for divorce, the feeling of relief outweighs the regrets.  The worst-case scenario is when your spouse’s parents are not content simply to sabotage your marriage, but they insist on sabotaging your divorce case, too.  If your monstrous in-laws wrecked your marriage and are now trying to sabotage your efforts to get a fair share of marital property, contact a Boca Raton divorce lawyer.

A Case of Friendly Lawsuits and Dumpster Documents

In-laws are a driving force behind many prenuptial agreements.  You can say to your intended, “I trust you, but my stingy parents will not let me marry you unless you promise in writing not to lay a finger on the property I own jointly with them.”  John and Sandra signed a prenup in which they agreed that the business interests John owned jointly with his parents would remain his nonmarital property, and this prenup managed to keep the peace throughout their nine-year marriage, but once the couple filed for divorce, John’s business entanglements with his parents caused so many problems that their divorce litigation dragged out for another nine years.

Once the parties filed for divorce, John’s parents sued him for the repayment of debts that they alleged that he owed them, and John did not contest the lawsuits.  The court referred to these, in its documents related to John and Sandra’s divorce, as “friendly lawsuits,” and it agreed with Sandra that the purpose of these lawsuits was simply to dissipate marital assets so that there would be less to distribute.  Another source of conflict in the divorce was a set of documents that a private investigator hired by Sandra found in the dumpster behind John’s accountant’s office.  After a long dispute over whether the documents were admissible as evidence, the parties disagreed about whether the documents were genuine.  After disagreeing about that, they disagreed about whether the documents were relevant to the case, and the court eventually ruled that they were not.  Dishonesty and meddlesome in-laws are bad for marriage, but in some cases, they are even worse for divorce.

Contact Schwartz | White About Disentangling Yourself From Overbearing In-Laws

A South Florida family law attorney can help you if your spouse’s parents seem determined to make your divorce as costly and messy as possible.  Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.

Source:

scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=7981633010803580212&q=divorce+management&hl=en&as_sdt=4,10&as_ylo=2015&as_yhi=2025