Q: Father wants to stop paying bills, he is the sole provider, can he legally just stop paying?
My Father has found out my mom cheated 3 years ago, though he cheated multiple times 15 years ago. He is the sole provider of the household and my mother is in nursing school. He says he is going to stop paying the bills and let the house foreclose. can he let this happen? i think his name is on the house and not my mom. he says if my mom leaves he will continue paying the bills and support me. i am 17 and still in school if that matters.
A: While there is nothing currently stopping the Father from taking these actions, the Court can act on this and require the Father to pay the bills or pay the Mother support. This is what is referred to as a pendente lite order (pending the litigation). This stays in place throughout the duration of divorce proceedings until there is a final resolution of the matter. A pendente lite motion can often be heard by a Court in a week (and certainly before there is any effect from the non-payment of the mortgage).
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