California Divorce Questions & Answers
Q: Am I allowed to read my letter to the judge to represent me since I am not happy with my lawyer at CMC hearing?
It has been 18 months now and still no resolution. I am not being prioritized. delay over delay. I need help.
There are several reasons why people represent themselves without a lawyer:
In criminal cases, if you cannot afford a lawyer, the court will appoint a lawyer for you, like a public defender. But in civil cases, you do not have the right to a court-appointed lawyer so, if you cannot afford... Read more »
Q: My husband hired the best friend of the woman he had an affair with to work in our office. She has access to financial
Info. Can I fire her even if he doesn't want to? I think it's a conflict isnt it?
Whether you have the authority to fire this person is something that no one here can know without a lot more information. Her employer, or an authorized representative of her employer has that power. More would therefore need to be known about the form of the business, your and your husband's... Read more »
Q: Enforce alimony, get attorney, attend court. How do that since I moved to other side of state (Calif)?
My ex (employed executive) paid alimony for some years then stopped. So, had enforced through court, yet he's still not paying. Due to this, I'm seeking to (again) enforce spousal support agreement. Kids all adults, so no child support applies.
Was married and divorced in same county in... Read more »
When your former spouse is not paying alimony, returning to divorce or family court should be your first action. Seek the help of an experienced divorce or family law attorney to represent you. Show the court evidence that your former spouse has not made payments, has not made full payments, or has... Read more »
Q: Information on property and child support.Been married for over 10yrs.
Spouse had kids w someone else while still being married.
California is one of a few states where you can benefit in alimony payments from staying married 10 years or longer. In this situation, the spouse earning less income retains the right to be paid alimony for as long as he or she needs, and as long as the paying spouse can pay.
All parents... Read more »
Q: Can a judge order health insurance to continue after divorce (on same plan)?
If spouse had consistently provided health insurance to me during the marriage, could a judge order it to continue after divorce (or is it common for a judge to do so)? Ins policy language states that divorce would remove me, but I've heard that it might be possible. Otherwise I assume I would... Read more »
The health insurance coverage under your spouse's plan would terminate once divorce is final. That coverage is governed by the insurance company. Typically, the insurance company will provide you with COBRA information once they are notified of final dissolution which allows you to choose to... Read more »
Q: I need help understanding my rights if my husband has decided to pay me less then our MSA states
We created an MSA. He lost his job so we verbally decided to lower the payment temporarily. He now wants to lower it again without my consent. I dont know how to get him to pay me what we agreed on
Informal agreements are not court orders. If you want something enforceable you need to get a court order or judgment. If what you have is a court order or part of a judgment then it should not be modified informally and only modified by a new court order.
Q: Long term marriage divorced in 2005. Paying spousal since separation. No QDRO in place.
No stipulations in final decree regarding retirement. Retiring soon. Will I have to pay spousal after retirement?
You pay support in accordance with your court orders or judgment until those orders are modified by a new or subsequent order.
Q: I was served with divorce papers twice at work, is that improper service? She's trying to make me lose time.
She filed in Riverside CA but just moved there. Can I ask for an RFO TO QUASH PROCEEDINGS FOR LCK OF JURISDICTION
The question is whether you also live in Riverside County. If not, where do you live? But I agree that there is no jurisdiction for a court to hear a divorce case, if, at the time of the filing, neither party had lived in the county at issue for at least three months. The way to get around this,... Read more »
Q: Hello, during a divorce if my spouse is working and I'm not, can I have her pay for my legal expenses?
I was the one supporting the both of us while together. I had to stop working and she (finally) got a job when we separated.
I also have recordings of her cheating, stealing from me, tampering with my food with his bodily fluids, and talking about ways to kill me, with her saying "I could... Read more »
more info needed and you should be sharing the info with a family law attorney not on a criminal attorney list.
you need a lawyer to go over all the facts and give you some guidance and not shooting from the hips.
Q: I have some questions regarding a divorce
Just call 619-515-9900 for a free consultation any time.
Q: Did I make a mistake? I left my husband almost a year ago to move from cali to Ny.
Did I make a mistake? I left my husband almost a year ago to move from cali to Ny. I started filing for divorce in September and to avoid him getting my 401k I withdrew it all that December. I took a big tax and penalty hit on it. He still has not signed any divorce agreements yet. Am I in the... Read more »
I need more information. Where was the divorce filed, or has it been filed. You mention "divorce agreements" but I'm not sure what that means. How long have you been married and when did you start the 401K?
Q: How to domesticate an out of state divorce decree in California
Depends on why you are asking. A judgment of divorce that is valid in the state in which it was given, is valid in California. You do not have to do anything. If there is something about the divorce judgment that needs enforcement here in California (such as a modification of spousal or child... Read more »
Q: I got married in Pennsylvania and moved to California 3 years ago. Now separated. Do we need to file divorce?
Her attorney said no because our license isn’t recognized here in ca. Which is why they didn’t let her change her name on her drivers license, even though her SS card was changed.
A valid marriage in Pennsylvania is valid here. I would be very concerned about a lawyer who states otherwise. If you were legally married in Pennsylvania your married is legally valid here in California. If you want to be divorced, then yes, you need to file for divorce.
Q: Wife's attorney is stonewalling requests for documents, though the judge asked us to reconcile -if not he will decide.
I sent Form intorogatories and later 1st meet and confer letter.
Wife''s attorney declined to produce financial documents that I asked such as bank statements, retirement current paystubs etc. (California -full disclousure).
Each paragraph answered: I took diligence and was unable... Read more »
Your remedy for failure to respond to discovery or failure to provide further responses after a meet and confer is to file a motion to compel, assuming you have missed the deadline to do so.
Q: Good afternoon, recently i was served divorce papers along with custody papers. I have no idea what to say or do. HELP?
You need to first note how you were served. Was it personal service or served on someone else which is commonly known as sub service? Was the service valid?
The reason why this is important is because it controls when your responsive pleading is due. Which will either be thirty (30) or... Read more »
Q: Wife's attorney ignored my Form Interogatories, and my Meet And Confer letter. What's next:Discovery?or Order to Compel?
My wife's attorney did not provide bank statements/checking/savings/401k any of these in their disclosure. (California-full disclosure state) I requested them thru Form Interrogatories -deadline passed he did not answer, then I wrote follow-up email -he did not answer, then I sent Meet and... Read more »
Probably do a motion to compel if more than 30 days have gone by since the discovery demands were served by someone other than you over the age of 18 and not a party to the action.
Q: Divorce ,......entitlement of quity of house on short term marriage
In California I bought my house 11 years(1998) prior of getting married i was married less that 10 years making my marriage a short term marriage. I didnt put my ex on the title to my house until 2015 ..How many years of equity of the house or percentage of ..is she entitled to. ???
This is somewhat complicated. You would want to look at the difference between the value of the house and the debt on the house at the time you added your wife. Then you would want to look at the equity now. Then, you take the 2015 equity (i.e., the difference between the value and the debt... Read more »
Q: i Recently filed a RFO. Can I file an addendum to the RFO, prior to having my ex served?
New but very important information has arisen, and it’s 100% relevant to the original RFO. I still have 2 weeks to serve my ex. We are post final judgement in our case.
Probably yes. Just serve everything you are supposed to serve, including the addendum, before the deadline. Provided the court has time to hear all of your issues in one hearing, you won't have a procedural problem. You might want to call the addendum an "Amended RFO". There shouldn't be any... Read more »
Q: my soon to be ex is now engaged to a women who had her kid taken away by CPS. Can I say she can't be around my kid?
The CPS case is closed and she gave away her parental rights and the case is approximately 2 years old.
You would need to see why CPS took her children away. Depending on the details, you might want to bring it to your Judge's attention
Q: What nullifies a prenup and how does someone with language barriers walk thru the process of divorce fairly?
My friend owns a business which is being impacted.
She really needs a translator, Vietnamese.
If the person attempting to nullify the prenup, had a language barrier at the time of signing the prenup, therefore, did not fully understand what she was signing, AND was not represented by counsel at the time, then the prenup can be nullified. She should retain an attorney to handle the divorce... Read more »
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