5 Dirty Tricks Your Ex May Try

Some divorces don’t run smoothly. Sometimes, this is because your ex might try a few tactics to make it harder for you to walk away with a fair deal.

Fortunately, there are answers for every dirty trick your ex may try.

Conflicting Out

This is a tactic your ex may use before you even know you have a divorce on your hands. The trick involves finding the top-rated attorneys near your location and taking advantage of consultations. After listening to confidential information from one spouse it becomes impossible for that attorney to serve the other.

The solution: find an attorney as soon as you know divorce is on the horizon, and look for top-rated attorneys.

False Accusations

At least 25% of divorces contain an allegation of some kind. Some are true, some aren’t.

If your ex throws a false abuse accusation at you then you might find yourself facing emergency orders forcing you to leave the home even if you were wise enough not to do so. If your ex throws a parental alienation accusation at you, then a judge might get a skewed picture of what’s really in the best interests of the children. Either way, false accusations are nasty tactics that crop up in divorce cases around the country every day.

The solution: work closely with your attorneys to prove your innocence. From bringing in experts to providing evidence that directly contradicts some of your ex’s claims, there are ways to ensure you are not penalized for behavior you never engaged in.

Wearing you Down

Rejecting reasonable settlement after reasonable settlement. Absolutely refusing to pay bills unless the judge orders it. Throwing a fit every time the subject of the divorce settlement comes up. There are a variety of ways a vindictive spouse can make the process so exhausting you’d sign just about anything to make it stop, including settlements which favor your ex at your expense.

The solution: take a deep breath, hire a therapist to keep you steady, and listen closely to your attorney’s advice. Any good divorce attorney knows what is and isn’t a reasonable set of demands and concessions. If you’re the one consistently staying reasonable as your ex tries to pressure you with unrealistic, unfair demands, the judge will see this. If you can remain calm and strategic through the whole process, it may well work in your favor.

Hiding Assets

This, of course, is the classic dirty trick. It’s especially likely when you’re dealing with a high asset divorce, as there is more to hide and a more complicated set of finances to help conceal what’s going on. People continue to try it, even though other cases have demonstrated time, and time again, just how unamused judges are when they discover this sort of behavior.

The solution: as soon as you know you’re getting a divorce, gather every scrap of financial paperwork you can get your hands on. Do it before your ex can try to put this information out of your reach. Bring it to your attorneys. If your ex may have already had the chance to start hiding things and you can’t find the evidence on your own, your attorney can also bring in a good forensic accountant to find them. There aren’t too many ways assets can be hidden that professionals don’t already know about, so take a deep breath and don’t panic.

Do You Need a Lawyer?

Trying to convince you that you don’t need a lawyer is the last dirty trick they might try. Your ex may not want lawyers involved because he or she wants to pressure you into a settlement which doesn’t suit your best interests in the slightest. You might hear how much cheaper a DIY divorce is, or that surely you two are both civilized enough to handle things on your own.

The solution: think hard. If you two were really able to work things out so smoothly on your own, you probably wouldn’t be getting divorced. And would you really want to be without the help of a professional should your ex try these (or any other) dirty tricks on you?

Contact Cooper Family Law

Schedule a consultation with divorce attorneys at Cooper Family Law to ensure you don’t fall for any of these dirty tricks.