questions & answers

Question: My husband wants a divorce and only married 9mo. He moved his girlfriend into our home yes I am still in the home also! This is adultery and illegal in the state of AZ! Our home loan is in his name only but title is in both. We started the paperwork before marriage but closed on the home after married. We have a car loan in both our name. He is telling me that his lawyer said I’m not in titled to anything because he is the one who pays the bills. He is a City Emp with retirement and savings similar to a 401k. He is pushing to sign the divorce papers now and leave with nothing. I helped build!

Answer: You need to know that Arizona is a no-fault divorce state.  Arizona law -- A.R.S. Section 25-312 states that the grounds for dissolution of the marriage is that the marriage is irretrievably broken.  The court does not consider issues like adultery in deciding whether to grant a divorce.  You would really benefit from sitting down with a lawyer. There are three programs in Arizona that you can use to get inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the modest means program.  You will need to apply for the program and meet the financial qualifications.  Once you are qualified, Modest Means will send you a list of attorneys whose practice covers your area of concern.  You select a lawyer from the list and will be entitled to a one hour consultation for $75.  If you need additional help and if the lawyer agrees to take your case, the most you will be charged is $75 per hours.  the telephone number is (866) 637-5341.  Both Maricopa County and Pima County have lawyer referral programs that offer a 30 minute consult with an attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney for $40.  The telephone number is  (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute attorney consult for $35.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625.  The notion that you get nothing because he pays the bills is false.  He has a lawyer.  You need to at least meet with one before signing any papers.