Delaying Divorce Due to Financial Circumstances
Recent economic pressures have impacted most individuals, including those wishing to file for divorce. As economic conditions improve, a recent MSNBC article suggests that divorce filings are likely to rise as many were stalled due to economic realities. In highlighting this phenomenon, the article focuses on the Wesners, a couple who initially decided to divorce in 2008, but continually held back due to their financial circumstances. At first Beverly Wesner decided that she would like to have a job before filing for divorce. However, shortly after Beverly secured employment, her husband Dave suffered his own employment difficulties. While Beverley considered filing for divorce during this time period, she was afraid of having to pay spousal support to Dave.
In the meantime, Dave and Beverley have had to endure not really being married while definitely not being divorced. During this time, the couple experimented with a living situation, called “bird nesting,” that is becoming more common in the current economic conditions. In this setup, the kids stay at the family home fulltime while the parents alternate between living in the family home and living in a rented apartment. Eventually, Beverly contacted an attorney to move forward with their divorce after Dave found a job. While the Wesners and countless families across the country have struggled with divorce during difficult times, the article suggests that a growing number may soon be filing for divorce.
Locally, Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri has noticed the impact of the difficult economy with many individuals considering divorce holding back due to underwater property values, depressed 401k values and other economic hardships. If you would like to learn more about divorce and the division of assets and debts or would like to discuss your options, please contact the San Jose Divorce Attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri, LLP. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.