Divorce Legal Answers

How do I stay in the United States after a divorce?

I am from Lebanon and have been here in the United States with my husband, raising our two sons. I don’t work because my husband would not allow it and wanted me to stay home with the boys. My husband is saying that once he gets the divorce he is going to send me back to Lebanon where divorced women have almost no rights. I have lived in the U.S. for over 10 years. I need to know my rights in a divorce and what rights do I have to custody of my sons. My husband works all the time and travels, there is no way he could care for our boys if I was not in the home. Can my husband force me to go back to Lebanon if we divorce, and what do I need to do to keep custody of my boys?

Sacramento, CA

Mar 15, 2021

Are monies from a car accident marital property?

My wife is from Syria and we married in the U.S. and live in Miami. She travels back to Syria often to visit her family. On one of her trips, she was in a terrible car accident. She has a Syrian lawyer helping her with her case, as the accident was the other driver’s fault. She was pretty badly hurt, and I suspect that she may receive a lot of money in a settlement or from the courts. She won’t discuss the details with me, and I fear she may be planning to use whatever she gets to move back to Syria and divorce me. How do I find out about these funds and do I have any interest in the money because we were married when the accident occurred? It is marital property, and if it is, how do I protect my interest? What if she just goes back to Syria without giving me notice?

Miami, FL

Mar 15, 2021

How do I divorce and get alimony from my bigamist husband?

My husband and I are both from Algeria and have lived here in the U.S. We both have dual citizenship and he regularly goes back to Algeria to visit family and do business there. I found out that he started a relationship with another woman in Algeria and married her on one of his recent trips. I want to divorce him but he says I cannot because under Algerian law, he can have more than one wife. I do not consent to this marriage of his. What needs to be done to divorce him and because he makes all of the money in our household, can he be required to pay me alimony and support me? I was a teacher in Algeria but gave up that job to come to the United States and raise his children.

Chicago, IL

Mar 15, 2021

Can my son get emancipated if divorce his mother?

My wife and I are going through a very bitter divorce and my son has turned against both of us. He is 16 years old and says if we don’t stop the fighting and drop the divorce he is going to emancipate himself from both of us and live on his own. We live in Chicago. Is emancipation legal in Illinois and if so, can my son pursue it during my divorce from his mother? What would he have to show to a court to get an emancipation granted? He doesn’t have a job and my wife and I still pay for everything for him.

Chicago, IL

Mar 15, 2021

Will a divorce remove my spouse’s name from the house deed?

I want to divorce my wife. We own nothing together except a house here in Chicago. She left two years ago to go back to Algeria and I have not seen her or had contact with her since. I’ve met someone and want to move on with my life. I contacted the bank that holds our mortgage and was told that I couldn’t do anything about taking her name off the house without her signature. I know I can file for divorce and eventually get it even if she doesn’t respond to the divorce complaint, but I am not sure what I can do about getting the house in my name only. Once the divorce is final, with that divorce decree be enough to get the bank to take her off the loan and deed?

Chicago, IL

Mar 15, 2021

Can my friend stop her husband from taking their infant out of country?

I have a good friend who is an Iraqi woman married to a Saudi man. He has been abusive to her and she filed a domestic violence order against him. She needs an Arab lawyer to help her understand the process of divorce and how to get away from this man. He is currently in jail on the domestic violence but won’t be there much longer. She is also terrified that when he gets out, he will try to take their 9 month old daughter back to Saudi Arabia. What does she need to do to get an order stopping him before he gets out of jail and tries to take the child. Also, where can she find a good lawyer who can help her with this divorce? They live in Philly and she hasn’t been able to locate someone to help her.

Philadelphia, PA

Mar 15, 2021

Can I keep a monetary gift to me from becoming marital property?

My wife and I are having marital problems and while we are working on the relationship, I have doubt whether we’ll stay married. My aunt is not in good health and wants to give me money and two parcels of property now, rather than waiting to leave it to me when she passes. I did some research and know that Texas is a community property state. I’m concerned that if my aunt gives me the gift now, while my wife and I are still married and living together, it will become joint property and my wife will get part of it if we divorce. What needs to be done to make sure that anything my aunt gives me remains my separate property? Should she just leave it to me in her Will to make sure it goes only to me?

Dallas, TX

Mar 15, 2021

Getting a divorce from someone with a top security clearance?

My husband and I live in Fairfax, Virginia and he works for the state department. He has a high level security clearance. I know he is cheating on him although he denies it. He’s threatened that if I try to bring him on adultery charges, he’ll lose his clearance and his job, meaning I would get no alimony. Is there a way to seal court records so that outside people don’t see why we are getting a divorce? If not, can I pursue a divorce for some other reason but still get alimony based on his conduct? He also travels extensively for his job and has said if I try to pursue this, he’ll just get on a plan and disappear, leaving me with nothing. How can I stop that from happening, would the state department help me locate him?

Fairfax, VA

Mar 15, 2021

What is the difference between a legal separation and a divorce?

My husband and I live in Seattle and own a house together here. We’ve been having problems in our marriage and want to possibly try a legal separation, as we aren’t sure we want a divorce. Is a legal separation possible and what is the difference between a separation and a divorce? How do we file for a legal separation? Also, I want to stay in our house during the separation and my husband is ok with that, but he wants to ensure that he doesn’t lose his interest in the house if he moves out.

Seattle, WA

Mar 15, 2021

What is your question? *

0/124 characters

Explain your question in more detail *

0/502 characters