There are couples who can’t seem to reach an agreement during their divorce negations no matter what they do. It’s hard to negotiate and work on a divorce when you couldn’t make a marriage work with the person you’re negotiating with – even if the negotiating is done in good faith. When the only solution seems to be a long-term drawn-out divorce battle, it’s hard to understand how you will ever finalize a divorce. A contested divorce is the hardest divorce to finalize, so if you have an uncooperative spouse, what can you do? When the divorce process turns contemptuous and hits a dead end, you need to consider why your spouse is being uncooperative. If your divorce is stalled, you have to look at your spouse’s unwillingness to cooperate and consider it’s about something other than the divorce.
Your uncooperative spouse could be stalling for other reasons, like:
• Issues over marital assets and equitable division
• Worries about unfavorable child custody plan
• Hurt feelings and angry about the divorce
• Trying to move assets and property they don’t want disclosed
Could it Be Sabotage?
Disagreeing on the terms of a divorce isn’t new. It’s not realistic to assume that divorcing couples should agree over the terms of their divorce. When a couple can’t reach an agreement on any issue, it’s possible that one party could be stalling or sabotaging the negotiation. Divorce can be expensive, so no couple wants to be in divorce negotiations long-term. If you think your estranged spouse is behaving erratically, you could be in divorce proceedings with an uncooperative spouse. How do you know if your estranged spouse is sabotaging the process?
If you’ve noticed your spouse doing any of the following, you should request a meeting between the attorneys to discuss next steps:
- Shutting down communication from lawyers and spouse
- Making impossible requests
- Avoiding meetings and appointments
- Hiding from court severs to avoid court dates
- Being unsupportive and emotional
- Making unfounded claims to slow the process
- Ignoring their lawyers and legal counsel
- Has hired and fired more than one lawyer
- Feigning confusion and forgetfulness
Finalizing a Divorce From an Uncooperative Spouse
If your spouse is being uncooperative, it may seem there isn’t a path forward. It’s true, you can’t compromise alone. You can work with your respective lawyers to get your objectives met. You need to find out why your estranged spouse is being disagreeable. Maybe they want something else before they’re willing to negotiate the divorce. If you and your spouse don’t have the same goal, it doesn’t matter what allowances you make; you will never be able to agree. Before wasting time and money trying to negotiate in good faith with someone who isn’t coming to the table, start by asking spouse their terms. You may be able to move many of these obstacles by simply giving your spouse a forum to discuss their issues.
Cairns Law Group
Even if you want a fast divorce, having an uncooperative spouse can derail those goals and complicate matters. At Cairns Law Group, we can work to help you complete your divorce as quickly as possible. We understand that divorce is not always straightforward, and when complications arise that require legal representation and advisement, we are here to help. Call us today at (888) 863-9115 to schedule a consultation to discuss your case or reach out to our team online.
