13 Years, 10 Judges and 16 Lawyers Later: No Divorce Settlement for Marlene

Family Law

13 Years, 10 Judges and 16 Lawyers Later: No Divorce Settlement for Marlene

Posted Jun 23, 2008, 03:45 pm CST
By Martha Neil

Marlene hasn't gotten much out of litigating against her husband, Bob, during the 13 years they've been battling in divorce court.

He's moved out of state, so Florida judges are essentially powerless to enforce a judgment against Bob—even if he would reveal the assets that Marlene believes he is hiding from her. And Marlene doesn't have the money to hire lawyers in his home state to pursue him the way she'd like to, reports the St. Petersburg Times.

So she's learned the legal skills she needed to pursue him herself, in Florida. At last count, there had been 10 judges and 16 lawyers involved in the case, at one point or another. The lengthy court battle has wearied sympathetic judges: "Even if I rule 100 percent in your favor, I'm just going to add another piece of paper—the next page of Volume 13," one told her recently, explaining that his powers stop at the state line, the newspaper writes.

Says Marlene, after the court hearing: "This is not the end. If I've learned anything about the law, I've learned you can always file another motion. You can always object."

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Posted by Ann Marie - 6 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 15 hours, 19 minutes ago

This really hits you how many poor women this must happen to. I recently was given the opportunity to observe a focus group of women going through the various stages of divorce speaking with one another about their situations and experiences. Many had similar stories based on financial and legal issues. Hearing these stories makes me proud to work for www.firstwivesworld.com. It is an online community of support and help for women navigating through the various stages of divorce and life thereafter. Women helping women along with experts and resources with hope to keep stories like this from happening in the future. There is hope.

Just my two cents,
Ann Marie

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