As a New Jersey Divorce Attorney, I get many questions from potential clients about adultery.
There is a lot of confusion out there about how NJ divorce court judges treat people who have been unfaithful to their spouses.
The fact is, some states "punish" someone who commits adultery.
New Jersey does not.
That is to say, in most cases, the fact that one side or the other committed adultery will not affect alimony, child support, property distribution, child custody or parenting time.
Let's take a look at this issue from 5 different angles:
1. This first article discusses ADULTERY AS WELL AS THE 8 OTHER NJ DIVORCE GROUNDS.
2. In fact, THE NJ GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE USUALLY DON'T REALLY EVEN MATTER. Sounds crazy? I'll explain why I say that here in this second article.
3. Any type of BETRAYAL IS DIFFICULT. I had a silly little experience with betrayal that I'll share with you here...but it was NOTHING compared to your spouse committing adultery...
4. When your spouse has committed adultery it can make you crazy and make you want to seek revenge. But YOU REALLY NEED TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT...
5. This fifth article takes you through THE ENTIRE NJ DIVORCE PROCESS and will be really useful to you if you are thinking about getting a divorce..
Understanding the very limited role that adultery really will play in your divorce case is painful but important for you to understand.
ADULTERY AND "MR. SENSITIVITY"
I remember vividly my first adultery case.
It was September 1987. I was just hired toward the end of my clerkship with the NJ Family Court by a great law firm.
The Senior Partner brought a new potential client in to meet with me.
Then he left.
My first client! (That was over 5000 clients ago...)
At some point during our consultation, the potential client asked me if it would hurt her case if her husband found out that she had a boyfriend.
I was a brand-new young lawyer and I didn't know the answer.
So I told her the truth: "...I don't know the answer to your question. But let's find out..."
I went back to the Senior Partner and told him the client's question.
He stormed back into my office and looked at the potential client and said, "You could have sex with the entire NY Giants football team and it won't affect your husband's alimony obligation to you!"
Then he turned around and stormed back out (he was very knowledgeable but sensitivity was not his strong point.)
But he was correct...
THE BOTTOM LINE
Divorce is often a challenging and emotional experience.
If your spouse committed adultery, you have some serious soul-searching to do to determine if counseling is the route that you wish to take or if divorce might be in your future.
I'd be happy to provide you with the names of some Monmouth County family counselors who have proven to help prior clients if you would like.
Just call my office and Valerie will be able to help you.
If you are considering separating or filing for divorce, the most important thing for you to do before doing anything else is to learn how to protect yourself, your children, and your assets.
I'll show you how you can do it.
I've been a divorce specialist in Colts Neck (by Delicious Orchards) for 36 years, and I've successfully represented many people against narcissistic spouses.
I "get it" and I'm here to help.
My free NJ DIVORCE EDGE 2024 (click here) course will teach you how to turn your situation around to your advantage.
Every divorce case is different. My emails will teach you, in an easy to understand way, everything that you need to know to help you make the right decisions based upon the particular facts of your situation.
My approach is to first see if the marriage can be saved...it amazes me how many people have reached out to me for a divorce over the past 36 years without first trying really hard to see if their marriage can be saved.
So not only will you get my best articles on divorce-related topics, but I'll also give you information to try to help you save your marriage if that is possible and if that is your goal.
I get emails from strangers all the time thanking me for making this information available to them online at no cost, and I'm pretty certain that you, too, will get a lot of value from my emails.
And if you want to stop the emails, I made it really easy for you to do that... one click on any email stops the course. But few people do that...because the material is really helpful to anyone who is even just beginning to think about getting a divorce here in Monmouth County.
Are you ready to start turning things around?
The next move is up to you...!
Click the link above and begin learning how to get the "edge" in YOUR Monmouth County divorce case.
Until next time,
Steve
Steven J. Kaplan, Esq.
Specializing In Divorce
Throughout New Jersey
5 Professional Circle
Colts Neck, NJ. 07722
www.KaplanDivorce.com
(732) 845-9010
