Can I hire a lawyer for my final divorce hearing and request a Tigrigna interpreter ?: I have my final divorce hearing in December. My wife and I have daughter together. I only speak Tigrigna which is Eritrean language and I need an interpreter to communicate and understand the court proceedings. My friend is helping me write this because I do not speak English well. I would like to hire a lawyer to represent me at my final hearing. Do you provide Tigrigna interpreters, or can an interpreter be arranged for me?
Robin’s answer: Yes, you can have an attorney represent you at the final divorce hearing. If you require an interpreter, you will need to provide the interpreter for the court. An attorney can assist you with obtaining an interpreter
Can I sue my children’s father for damages from long-term parental, alienation and verbal abuse?:
My children’s father and I have used what I thought was a legal binding custody agreement over the last 13 years to coparent are two teens which has been extremely difficult due to long-term verbal and emotional abuse which I can prove with text messages as well as tracking my location without my consent, and long-term parental alienation, which has severely affected my relationship with my children, as well as my ability to coparent effectively. I recently stumbled across our old custody agreement, which had a docket number on it, and when I searched it, I found that it was a fake. This is a document he typed and printed, and we both signed in front of a notary, but it has a fake docket number, and it was never submitted to the court. He recently attempted to completely change our long-standing 50-50 week on week off custody arrangement stating that the kids would be staying with him and that the kids have made the decision themselves (after many years of alienation)
What can I do? My oldest is 17 my youngest is 15 currently.
Robin’s answer: Unfortunately, you probably cannot sue him for monetary damages. You may be able to bring a custody case for your 15 year old citing all of his infractions. As part of the custody you may be able to seek sanctions against him for fraud, alienation, etc. It may not be a separate civil case. You should schedule a private consultation with an attorney to discuss the details of your case to see what options are available.
Will I lose my family home in a divorce?: We have been married for 36 years and I was a homemaker during our marriage. We moved in with my mother in the home my father and her bought in 1950 right after our marriage in 1992. In about 1996, my mother added my husband and I to the deed so all three of our names were on it. When my mother passed away in 2022, we had the deed changed so only my husband and I are listed as the owners. This is the home I grew up in and I want to know if I will lose it when we get divorced.
Robin’s answer: It is not automatic to lose a house during a divorce. There are many factors that are considered when determining equitable distribution, including any retirement accounts, savings, investments as well as the equity in the home. Depending on the values and distribution, there may be no reason to distribute the equity from the home. It is very case specific. It would be best for you to have a consultation with an attorney to discuss the specifics of your situation and discuss all options and potential outcomes.