Once you and your former spouse have agreed on a divorce settlement agreement, it is natural to hope that the conflict is behind you, and your contact with your ex is perhaps limited to co-parenting matters. But for many Buffalo people, the settlement becoming an official decree is just the beginning.
That is because many divorced people, perhaps still bitter or vindictive over the end of their marriage, choose to defy their financial obligations under the settlement. Or they drag their feet on providing your share of assets that are promised to you under the agreement.
As an article in TIME explains, the ways an ex can drag out the completion of a divorce agreement include:
- Failing to put the family home up for sale, or not refinancing the mortgage
- Failing to pay marital debts that he or she agreed to take on
- Dividing assets improperly, or not dividing them at all
Sometimes, the issue is that complying with the property division portion of the agreement is more complicated that it seemed at the time, such as when it comes time to split up the retirement accounts. But often, the ex is intentionally defying the agreement. They may have changed their mind, and decided the agreement is unfair. Or they may simply want to get “revenge” on the former love of their life.
Sadly, some go so far as to withhold child support. Courts tend to be aggressive when it comes to enforcing a child support obligation, but getting a hostile spouse to pay out your share of the marital property can be more difficult. The assistance of your divorce attorney may be necessary.