Arlene’s Justice

Spouse evades potential $15K in debt in rental arrears

Arlene’s marriage ends with a nasty surprise

Married for over 20 years, Arlene* had two adult children with her husband and worked as a home health aide. Her arrangement with him had always been that she would look after the children and take on more of the domestic tasks, while her husband, who had steady employment, paid the rent and most of the bills. When Arlene’s elderly mother became ill, her husband suggested she quit her job so she could attend to her mother full time, and he promised her that he would continue to financially support her and their daughters.

Arlene believed that her husband was making good on his promise, until one day she found an eviction notice on her front door. Apparently her husband had stopped paying the rent, they were $15,000 in arrears, and were being kicked out of their home, where one of their children also lived. Aside from losing her home, as both names were on the apartment lease, Arlene also found herself being sued by the landlord for this huge debt racked up behind her back. What she also found out, only because he had left the papers on her dresser for her to find, was that her husband had filed for divorce. And then he left the country, never to be seen again.

Her Justice helps Arlene avoid financial collapse and obtain a divorce

Eventually Arlene was evicted and forced to live on her sister’s couch. Arlene now wanted to finalize the divorce, but as her husband had left the country right after filing, he could not be served with the necessary papers, leaving Arlene trapped in limbo. Arlene’s Her Justice lawyer was able to convince the judge to finalize the divorce, even in the husband’s absence. She also investigated the rent arrears and discovered that before leaving, the husband had signed a settlement in court – also without Arlene’s knowledge – making him alone responsible for the rent. Arlene was overjoyed that the burden of debt was lifted off her shoulders.

Arlene’s future is more secure

Had Arlene’s lawyer not obtained a divorce for her, she could have been liable for the rent arrears in her husband’s absence. Even without that significant debt, Arlene’s husband ruined her financially. After decades of a partnership where he was the income earner, he left her homeless with an eviction on her credit report, while he took his income to another country where he could not be held responsible for all of his destructive actions.

Arlene has since found another job as a home health aide and is moving slowly towards some degree of financial independence.

 

*Name changed to protect client privacy