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Virginia Divorce Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Divorce for Virginia on
Q: im getting a devorce wife lied on a legal document saying there were no pending court date on the house what do i do

wife tried to sale the house before we went to court for judge to determine what happens to the house had another court date to stop her from saying the house because she wouldn’t listen fond papperwork by accident it was for sales on the house closing was on the 29 i called the loan company and... View More

John Michael Frick
John Michael Frick
answered on Sep 5, 2023

If you have not already done so, file a notice of lis pendens and notify the prospective buyer.

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: Can my spouse file for divorce & choose NOT to incorporate signed/notarized PSA?

My spouse & I have been separated for a year now, we have 1 minor child. We have a signed/notarized PSA and now my spouse wants to file for divorce now and not have the PSA included. The signed/notarized PSA states we sell the house and pay all outstanding bills with the equity. Spouse now... View More

James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Aug 17, 2023

A spouse served with a Complaint for Divorce in Virginia has 21 days to file a responsive pleading. Typically, if the defendant spouse did not agree to the allegations in the Complaint, the responsive pleading would be an Answer and Counterclaim, starting a contested divorce case.

It is...
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1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: Can an ex spouse reopen or modify a finalize an uncontested divorce in Virginia?
T. Augustus Claus
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T. Augustus Claus pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Aug 10, 2023

In Virginia, after a divorce has been finalized, it is possible for one of the ex-spouses to request a modification to certain aspects of the divorce agreement. However, the ability to modify a finalized divorce decree depends on the specific circumstances and the issues being addressed.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Real Estate Law, Divorce and Foreclosure for Virginia on
Q: Are my assets (land, home, retirement accounts) at risk if my ex-husband forecloses on the home we lived in?

My home, land, and retirement accounts do not have his name on them, but the marital home that he lives in may be at risk of a foreclosure as he is behind on payments. He was given a year to get the mortgage refinanced into just his name, but he has awful credit and won't be able to. It's... View More

Anthony M. Avery
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Anthony M. Avery pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Aug 2, 2023

If you signed the Note then you are personally liable on the debt. After foreclosure the lender/noteholder may file suit to collect for any note deficiency.

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: How is spousal support calculated in virginia
James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Jun 5, 2023

There are really two types of spousal support, temporary and permanent. Temporary spousal support, awarded in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, or as pendente lite support incidental to a pending divorce case, is based on a formula, the creates a presumptively correct amount.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: In the state of Virginia can I file for annulment if the person did not disclose they had several felonies?

Is there a statue of limitation on how long you been married in order to get an annulment?

James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Jun 3, 2023

An annulment may be granted in the Commonwealth of Virginia based on a number of different grounds that make the marriage void or voidable, including but not limited to, fraud or duress, prohibited co-sanguinity, bigamy, incapacity, infancy, impotency, felony conviction, pregnancy by another or... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce, Family Law, Child Custody and Juvenile Law for Virginia on
Q: If I was issued Emergency protective order in virginia and she was granted the box that is marked granting her the hous

If she was granted the house in an emergency protective order it says her name. The family of household member is granted possession of the exclusion of the respondent however no such Grant of possession shall affect title To any real or personal pro Property. If she is out of the state ono... View More

Faraji A. Rosenthall
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Faraji A. Rosenthall
answered on May 28, 2023

You should have a lawyer look at the actual protective order to be certain. That much said, if it gives her sole possession of the house, then you would be prohibited from going there - even if she is at work, or on vacation, or for any reason.

2 Answers | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: In Virginia what happens when a person waives his rights to equitable distribution on a marital separation agreement?
James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on May 10, 2023

Most well-drafted, comprehensive, Virginia separation agreements include a release of rights outside the agreement, and a waiver of equitable distribution rights. The idea is the comprehensive written separation agreement reflects the entire agreement between the parties as to the consequences of... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: Currently in VA and separated from wife since Feb 2023. What am I financially responsible for, for wife during separatio

currently the main provider for kids in the home. Wife lives in basement currently separated. She is asking for me to pay her out of network therapy bills. What am I financially responsible for specifically for my wife during this separation period.

James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Apr 28, 2023

Each spouse has a duty of support to the other. Every parent has a duty of support to his or her minor children, or adult children unable to live independently.

While the Virginia Court of Appeals has recognized that spouses may live separate and apart under the same roof in Bchara v....
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1 Answer | Asked in Divorce for Virginia on
Q: Does post separation adultery negate the need to pay spousal support if proven in court?
James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Apr 20, 2023

A Virginia judge shall deny spousal support to a spouse guilty of the fault ground of adultery, sodomy or buggery committed outside the marriage unless such denial would be a manifest injustice, after balancing the respective degrees of fault of the parties and the relative economic circumstances.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: When a couple agree to waive rights to equitable distribution in a divorce agreement, what does that mean in lay terms?

Wording from divorce agreement: "...waive any right to equitable distribution under Section 20-107.3 of the Code of Virginia to the retirement or pension accounts, life insurance..." ALSO, I know what equitable distribution refers to, just not exactly what this phrase refers to in... View More

James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Apr 1, 2023

In resolving the incidents of marriage upon separation and/or divorce, the spouses have four choices:

1. Do nothing and allow the issues to remain unresolved;

2. Address each item of property as an individual item as necessary, typically according to actual title;

3....
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1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: Under what grounds can I reopen a PSA in Virginia?

I have been paying spousal support since 2017, via court order, and do not think that it should continue indefinitely. Was fully divorced in 2019 and the order became part of the PSA. My ex has the ability to work (she held 10 jobs during the marriage) but refuses to or simply does not attempt to... View More

James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Mar 31, 2023

There are two bases for spousal support: 1. an award by the court; or 2. a stipulation by the parties. An award by the court may be modified upon a material change in circumstances not anticipated by the parties, or the nonoccurrence of a change anticipated by the parties at the time of the award.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: Is 20 yrs a magic # for permanent spousal support in VA or is there little difference if one files divorce after 19 1/2?

62-year-old spouse has been a stay-at-home parent the entire time.

James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Mar 9, 2023

There is currently no formula for permanent spousal support, the type awarded upon decreeing a divorce, in Virginia. An award of permanent spousal support, which may be for a fixed term, in a lump sum, or indefinitely until either party dies, or until the payee spouse remarries or cohabits in a... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce and Family Law for Virginia on
Q: My wife wants a divorce. I have been in the basement for 8 months. If I sign contracts on a house to move is that ok?

There is no legal agreement in-place. I need to move on and found a house to buy. This would force our current house to go to market and force both of us to find alternate living. She is currently just staying because she is comfortable with me being out of site. Is it a bad legal move to move on... View More

James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Mar 2, 2023

In the absence of legal justification, any spouse who leaves the marital residence with the intention to separate permanently risks having the other spouse claim the fault ground of desertion and abandonment in a divorce case. Most divorce lawyers will advise a client not to leave the marital... View More

3 Answers | Asked in Divorce, Estate Planning, Family Law and Real Estate Law for Virginia on
Q: Can something you say in an email be the difference between winning and losing a lawsuit?
James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Feb 13, 2023

An e-mail may be admissible in evidence if a party can establish a hearsay exception and authenticate the communication. Hearsay is an out-of-court statement a party wants to introduce into evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. If made by a party, an e-mail may qualify as a party... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Divorce for Virginia on
Q: Do you follow the laws of divorce for the state you file in, regardless of where you were married at?
James H. Wilson Jr.
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James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Feb 6, 2023

Depending on the circumstances, a divorce is typically filed in either the state where the defendant resides, or the state where the plaintiff (filer) resides. The place of marriage is irrelevant.

Due process requires notice and an opportunity to be heard. Further, if property rights,...
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1 Answer | Asked in Divorce for Virginia on
Q: Hi For the past year I have been bullied and harassed by my wife to agree to her divorce and now i am under duress

My wife filed a false protection order then false claims I broke the protection order and I have text messages from her to our kids that if i sign her papers she will remove everything. I just recieved papers from her lawyer to sign but I do not agree however my wife holds control over me through... View More

John Michael Frick
John Michael Frick
answered on Jan 25, 2023

I recommend you not sign or agree to anything until you have retained your own lawyer to advise you.

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce for Virginia on
Q: how do I get a divorce based on adultery
James H. Wilson Jr.
PREMIUM
James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Jan 17, 2023

A divorce is initiated by the filing of a Complaint in the appropriate Virginia Circuit Court. A divorce based on fault must include the basic elements of the fault ground that the Plaintiff will rely on, in numbered paragraphs in the Complaint. A party or counsel signing a pleading, such as a... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce for Virginia on
Q: Do both parties have to sign a seperation agreement before the seperation begins?
James H. Wilson Jr.
PREMIUM
James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Jan 12, 2023

Spouses can enter into enforceable separation agreements in Virginia. The agreement must be in writing and signed by both spouses, or recited in front of a court reporter. A separation agreement is not a requirement for a divorce in Virginia, although it allows a no fault divorce based on a six... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce for Virginia on
Q: Divorce when in separate states

If my spouse files for divorce in Virginia but I am about to move to another state, am I able to handle my part in the divorce from that other state. Would I hire a lawyer in Virginia? Would I have to physically appear in court or could my lawyer appear for me? What happens if I cannot afford to... View More

James H. Wilson Jr.
PREMIUM
James H. Wilson Jr.
answered on Dec 24, 2022

Divorces easily fall into one of two categories: contested and uncontested. An uncontested divorce typically proceeds as a no fault divorce based on a signed written separation agreement between the spouses. All the incidents and consequences of the marriage have been addressed: spousal support;... View More

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