The way that you behave during a Texas divorce may influence the outcome. Your conduct in court and as you prepare for your hearings could either help you or hurt you.
It is far too easy to let your emotions get the better of you when considering divorce. A surprising number of people will behave in ways they usually would not and may later wonder why they made the choices they did.
Recognizing some of the most consequential mistakes you might make before your divorce could improve your chances of a positive outcome and help you limit the impact of your emotions on the divorce itself.
Hiding assets or lying about their value
You have to provide an accurate inventory of your property to the courts and to your ex so that you can fairly divide your assets. Starting a secret bank account before you file for divorce and not disclosing that to your spouse or lying about the actual value of your personal property could result in numerous consequences for you. If the courts believe you misrepresented your property intentionally, they might penalize you in their final property division order.
Turning your spouse away when they show up for parenting time
Sharing custody of your kids is not fun, especially in the early stages of a divorce. It is common for spouses to feel angry at their ex to want to keep them away from the children.
However, denying your ex communication or visitation with your children will make you look vindictive to the courts. If your ex tries to claim that your actions constitute parental alienation, those withheld visits could mean that the courts reduce how much parenting time or decision-making authority they give you.
Destroying or wasting marital property
You may know better than to hide marital assets from your spouse, but you may still feel tempted to give away, destroy or sell property so that your spouse can’t claim it in the divorce. Those actions might constitute marital dissipation and could inspire the courts to hold you personally accountable for those amounts, thereby limiting what you receive in the property division process.
Learning about and avoiding the most common and serious mistakes will make it easier for you to secure a fair resolution to your divorce.
