Are you concerned about narcissism or other concerning behaviors during a contentious Louisville divorce? How will the divorce and family law attorneys at Dodd & Dodd help to protect you and the things that matter most throughout the divorce process?
There are many reasons for a divorce to become contentious. There can be genuine, principled disagreements between the parties on many issues, from child custody and parenting time to the division of marital property. One of the most common types of unnecessarily contentious divorce involves narcissism or behaviors based on a personality disorder. In other cases, one of the parties may be attempting to understate or overstate the value of assets or even debt accounts.
Manipulation and consistently false and argumentative communications are the most classic elements of narcissism or other concerning behaviors during a contentious Louisville divorce. The good news is there are steps we can take to manage each step of the process to protect our clients from these types of behaviors while achieving their goals and protecting the things that matter most. What are some of the warning signs to be aware of as you start to consider or enter the process of a divorce?
It is important to understand the nature of the “fiduciary duty” each party owes to the other throughout marriage and until the date the final divorce decree is issued. It may surprise you to learn each spouse owes the other a strong legal obligation to act in the other’s best interests – the essence of the fiduciary duty. There are many cases of reactionary behavior, such as attempting to take all the money out of a joint account or running up credit card balances. The experienced divorce and family law attorneys at Dodd & Dodd can easily document and bring attention to these issues so that the Court may appropriately consider these actions during the division of marital property.
Narcissism and other concerning behaviors during a contentious Louisville divorce can lead to more covert actions or attempts to hide assets or money during the divorce process. This includes the business owners who may attempt to manipulate their income or alter receipts and accounts to make the business look less successful and/or lower the valuation of the marital interest in the company or professional practice. Altered or lower business income or wages are often falsely stated in order to lower amounts paid for child support or spousal support / maintenance.
Narcissists and former spouses with other controlling or manipulative behaviors often attempt to limit or prevent access altogether to bank account information, credit accounts, pension or retirement benefits, and current and past tax returns.
We will help you cut through all of this and establish strategies to keep a tight and productive focus on the matter at hand while working to reach agreements at each step of the process. Communications, including emails, texts, and voicemails, must be carefully managed to avoid engaging with false or argumentative spouses. The Court carefully observes the communications and actions of each party throughout the process of your divorce. It will quickly become very obvious to the Court (and others) when your former spouse attempts to manipulate information or influence you through aggressive communications or outright falsehoods.
Dodd & Dodd works with our clients to develop a detailed plan of action and strategies that will help protect your goals and interests at each step of the divorce, as well as your own peace of mind. We will need to gather many forms of important records and information. We will discuss strategies to avoid or disengage from texts, emails, voicemails, and even direct argumentative, contentious, or manipulative conversations. We will use interrogatories, discovery, forensic accounting, and other tactics to uncover attempts to manipulate information and events, uncover hidden money and assets, and establish the true nature and valuation of all assets and debts to ensure an equitable distribution of marital property.
Narcissism or other concerning behaviors during a contentious Louisville divorce may seem unavoidable. However, there are strategies to limit your exposure to manipulation and abuse while gathering the evidence necessary to protect your interests and accomplish your goals.
Are you searching for a family law attorney or divorce lawyer near Louisville? We invite you to review the strong recommendations of our former clients and the legal industry and contact Dodd & Dodd or call 502-584-1108 to schedule an appointment with one of our attorneys.
