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Don't Fall for "Dirty Divorce Tricks"

Written by: Irwin M. Pollack

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Posted over 2 years ago. Applies to Massachusetts, 0 helpful votes, 0 comments

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Be On The Lookout For The Top-3 Tricks

1. Spouse says, “I’ll quit my job before I pay you that much support.” Not likely. This is an attempt to bluff you into a lower support amount. Ask your attorney whether you should “call” this bluff. Document the statement right away. Write down the date, circumstances and exact words used. Better yet, if the spouse sends this to you by e-mail or, in a letter, save it for use as evidence. Judges do not tolerate this kind of bullying as they can find interesting and painful ways to send that spouse the message. 2. Spouse says, “It doesn't make sense for us to be paying two lawyers; it’s just a waste of money that we could otherwise keep. Let’s just both use mine.” Aside from the obvious conflict of interest here, the spouse making this plea wants to control you and the process by controlling how much advice and information you get. Don’t fall for this. 3. Spouse says, "You’ll never see the children again.” Don't buy it! It's just an attempt to keep you around longer.

Other Common Traps

Some spouses move out of the home, is the primary income earner, and refuses to pay any household bills or send any support until he or she is forced to do it by the court. That's why you and your attorney should get into court right away! Other spouses figure that if there's no support order then they can wait until the latest possible day to pay support money, even if he or she has the money to send. Again, get into court right away! Finally, some spouses (angry ones) will petition the court for primary custody of your children hoping that you will actually agree to a joint custody or visitation arrangement. Your attorney should reassure you that this is no more than a trick to try and bully you...