questions & answers

Question: My husband of 20 years met a woman on the internet, moved her from Florida to Arizona, and put her up in an apartment. During the 5 years I tried to save money to get a divorce, he cleaned out all our retirement savings. As he didn't pay taxes, the IRS came after him for the $150,000 he took and also reduced my social security. I really need a divorce from him, but I'm SMI bipolar and he's mean.  Help me please.

Answer:

Arizona is a no-fault divorce state.  This means that a married couple may dissolve their marriage solely for the reason that the marriage is "irretrievably broken."  A.R.S. 25-312.  In a dissolution proceeding, a court will generally try to divide the community property and debts equally, however a court may deviate from the regular division of property if there is evidence of "marital waste."  A.R.S. 25-318C.  Having a disorder or illness will not prevent or inhibit divorce proceedings.  When seeking a divorce, it is very helpful to have an attorney for specific advice.  For further information regarding dissolution of marriage in Arizona, consult the article Things You Should Know About Divorce In Arizona.  To more efficiently find free or reduced fee legal services, AZLawHelp conviently has a link on the front page for the Arizona Access to Justice Online Intake System.  The Arizona Access to Justice Online Intake System is available at www.azlawhelp.org/accesstojustice.