Ex buys time by hiring, firing lawyers

Q: My ex has played hold off games for yrs. She hires and fires lawyers each and every couple of months (including all through the divorce) and will get continuances. We were divorced in Illinois and I moved to Massachusetts. Throughout the pandemic, our children have been here with me for spring split and my ex and I agreed they could keep due to the fact that produced factors a lot easier for her — she did not want to oversee residence schooling our youngsters and my present spouse does not get the job done.

I submitted to modify child support listed here mainly because my ex did not concur that I could stop paying out. She proceeds to say they have to have their residence in Chicago. In the meantime they have lived with me whole time since March 2020, I spend all their expenditures such as personal college for one and now university for the other.

My ex retains demonstrating up for hearings declaring she needs a attorney. Then she hires another person who requests extra time to get to know the scenario. Then that person quits or she fires them. It does not help that we have experienced a few distinct judges, all of whom feel sorry for her and just give her a continuance. We are meant to have a pre-demo conference in the close of July. Nowadays I uncovered her lawyer is quitting and she is once again asking to go on issues so she can find a law firm. Meanwhile I continue to keep staying explained to this is not an crisis so I simply cannot get a temporary purchase to cease having to pay guidance. What can I do?

A: This time the attorney will have a more durable time getting authorization to withdraw mainly because the pre-trial conference is so close. You can oppose the movement to withdraw if the withdrawal will final result in a further more continuance. The judge can deny the movement to withdraw and get the law firm to keep in by means of the pre-trial convention. In that way you will at the very least get to test the pre-demo convention box and talk to for demo dates.

Alternatively, you can agree to the law firm withdrawing on the affliction that little one assist is suspended pending demo on the deserves. Consider to influence the choose that this arrangement is a motivator for everyone. If support is suspended now, your ex will probably agree to maintain dates on the calendar if she thinks she will be entitled to reinstatement of support even if at a diminished price.

If you did not question for retroactive elimination of child assistance in your complaint, file a movement to amend the compliant to request a retroactive elimination of assistance. If she is not in a position to pay out again what she has received considering that you submitted, that is a further purpose for the judge to end it now. You can also give to “escrow” your assistance payments so if she wins the funds is there but if she loses, you never have to chase her to get your cash back again. Even though you are at it, check with the choose to get her to use the assist she receives to spend a share of the instructional bills.

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