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What If My Ex Lies During Our Divorce?

Published: Jun 27, 2020 in Child Custody, Divorce
What If My Ex Lies During Our Divorce?

Written by Anthony Piccirilli

Divorce can be contentious, especially when you don’t agree with your ex on how to separate assets and debt. Child custody, child support, and alimony can also come into issue during divorce hearings. Both parties have to submit a lot of information during a divorce. If your ex lies about you or any other facts, they can face serious penalties and severe consequences.

If you are facing a divorce, don’t do it alone. Contact a Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC lawyer who can guide you through the process and make sure your ex doesn’t take advantage of you. Call us today at (412) 471-5100 or use our online contact form today.

Why Someone Might Lie in a Divorce

In Pennsylvania, a divorce may be fault-based or no-fault. If it’s fault-based, the filing party must state grounds upon which the divorce is based, or a reason for the divorce. The person making accusations may lie and say their significant other committed adultery, abandoned them, was cruel or committed domestic violence, or is otherwise at fault. If you are making accusations, your spouse may lie and deny them. These accusations can impact the outcome of the rest of the case, such as whether alimony is awarded, so both sides have motivation to lie.

A party in a divorce may also lie about their ability to care for children in a child custody dispute. This can be difficult to manage because the wellbeing of children are at stake. It’s important to get the real facts in a child custody dispute so that custody and visitation is awarded appropriately.

A financially liable party may lie about their resources in child support and alimony cases. Your attorney will need to dig into your ex’s finances to determine their income, expenses, and more so that you get a fair outcome for child support and alimony.

What If the Plaintiff Lies in a Divorce Complaint?

If the person filing the divorce complaint, called the plaintiff, lies about the reason for the divorce, the filing may be dismissed entirely. Their spouse, or the defendant, will have an opportunity to respond to the divorce complaint. In that answer, the defendant can deny the fault accusations and make any claims in return.

If a divorce complaint is dismissed because of false information, it may have to be refiled with an additional court filing fee.

What If Someone Lies About Child Custody or Visitation Issues?

If one party lies about their ability to provide for children, their custody or visitation may be denied or suspended. A court may also remove children from a home, change custody arrangements, issue supervised visitation, or otherwise do what is best for the children.

If there is a dispute about what is best for the children, we may bring in a social worker, child psychologist, or other experts to testify. We will work to prove that the other party has lied and you are trying to protect your children.

What If Someone Lies About Their Finances

If someone fails to be honest about their income for a child support or alimony calculation, they can be held in contempt of court for failing to comply with directions of the court to reveal their financial information. This may result in fines or other penalties.

When determining child support and alimony, the court will want to know income, expenses, needs of both parties, and other financial information. We will have to complete several documents and make a request to the court for a specific amount of money. Once the court receives all of the truthful information for both parties, it will make a determination about child support and alimony.

Contact a Divorce Lawyer Today for Help with Your Case

If your ex is lying about issues in your divorce, contact a lawyer right away. You shouldn’t have to suffer their dishonesty and expend the time and effort necessary to prove the truth. We can do that for you. Call Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC today at (412) 471-5100 or use our online contact form.