Martinsburg West Virginia Family Law Blog

Many people dream of a perfect wedding from the time they are little. Brides are not alone in this, and many grooms have clear and specific ideas of how they expect their big day to play out. Perhaps some have the feeling that the more special the wedding event, the stronger their marriage bond will be. Sadly, this is often the opposite of the truth.

If you and your spouse spent tense months arguing over the cost of your wedding plans, it may have taken only a short time before you realized those disagreements carried over into your marriage. In fact, entering marriage with debt from an extravagant wedding is becoming a common factor in divorces in West Virginia and across the country.

Substance abuse and addiction can impact every aspect of your life, including your family. If you have a current or prior problem with substance use, this may be one contributing factor to your divorce.

Drug and alcohol problems may affect many aspects of your divorce, including child custody, spousal support and property division. Here is an explanation of how this issue may play a role in your split and what you can do about it.

If you are half of a high net worth West Virginia couple facing the prospects of a divorce, you may have the nagging suspicion that your spouse is hiding assets from you so as to better position himself or herself in your upcoming property settlement negotiations. Greedy and/or vindictive spouses have been hiding assets for decades. What makes finding these assets so much more difficult and complicated nowadays is the many new ways available to do it.

You likely face a very challenging time, especially if your spouse chooses to hide marital assets electronically. You may wish to discuss with your attorney the possibility of hiring a forensic accountant to take on this highly complex job.

When you are together as a couple with your children's other parent, you have a relatively large degree of control over the people your children are exposed to. However, after a divorce, or break up, it is typical for that control to decrease. It can be frustrating, as many parents new to this situation wonder if they can prevent their children from being in contact with certain people. Unfortunately, unless your ex agrees otherwise, the short answer is no, unless there is a significant risk of harm to the children from said exposure.

Why is this so? Shouldn't you, as a parent, have a right to say who your children should and should not be around? The answer is yes, but so does the other parent. For example, if your ex's mother is domineering, why can't you get a court order to block this woman from being around your children on your ex's time? Well, unless the children's grandmother presents some sort of potential danger or safety risk to the children, your ex is going to be able to decide who the children are going to be around on their time, just as you decide who the children are exposed to on your time.