If you’ve filed for divorce and your partner feels caught off guard, you could find your divorce is taking longer than you expect as they drag their feet. It’s easy for emotions to take over, and before you know it, your divorce has gotten out of control. Because divorce is an emotional process, human feelings have to be taken into account when filing orders, negotiating, and creating agreements to finalize your divorce. An estranged spouse can feel hurt by the decision to divorce, and you may find they’re avoiding the inevitable.

If your spouse is sabotaging the divorce process by stalling or being disruptive, a judge can:

· Ordering temporary child and spousal support awards be paid by the stalling spouse until the divorce is finalized

· Entering contempt of court charges against the contrary spouse until they comply with any avoided court orders

· Assign all court and lawyer fees to the stalling spouse

How Do You Know if it’s Sabotage?

Many couples do not agree on the terms of their divorce, and that’s to be expected. It’s not realistic to expect every couple to have an amicable divorce. While every spouse who files for divorce hopes their spouse will be understanding and agree to a mutually sought divorce, it’s not very likely – especially if the estranged spouse feels blind sighted.

Your spouse could be sabotaging the divorce process if you’ve noticed any of the following:

· Refusing to acknowledge communication from lawyers or spouse

· Making impossible requests

· Canceling appointments and avoiding meetings

· Evading court served documents

· Being emotional and making unsubstantiated claims

· Ignoring the advice of counsel

· Repeated difficulty keeping an attorney

· Has hired and fired multiple attorneys during a short period

· Pretending to forget documents are unsigned

When couples can’t reach a communicative position where at the very least, they can negotiate and work in good faith toward the dissolution of the marriage – the only other option is long-term drawn-out divorce proceedings. The most disruptive and difficult divorce is the contest and litigious divorce. It’s emotionally fraught and filled with contempt and animosity.

The other reasons spouses prolong and sabotage their divorce include:

· They have concerns they are getting a fair share of the marital assets

· They want to prevent unfavorable child custody arrangements

· They are angry and want to get even with their estranged spouse

· They are stalling to hide assets and property they don’t want disclosed

There are many reasons why estranged spouses stall divorce proceedings, with the most obvious being they hope to stop the process and return to life as it was before. When you feel as if you’ve been trapped in a divorce nightmare that won’t end, your attorney can help you develop a strategy to get around your spouse’s stalling tactics. If you don’t get ahead of your spouse’s stalling tactics, your divorce could be dragging on for a long time. You do have legal avenues to pursue to force your spouse to engage and participate in the divorce or face ramifications from the court.

Timely and Considerate Legal Representation

At The Law Offices of Mark R. Hinshaw, PLC, our attorneys can help you fight stalling tactics in your Iowa divorce case. We know what it takes to get your divorce back on track. We can help you fight for the fair and equitable divorce you deserve. Attorney Hinshaw will work to develop a divorce strategy despite your spouse’s uncooperative actions. Call us today at (515) 200-7571 to schedule your initial consultation.