How Does a Get Work in Theory and in Practice?

A Get is a short document, consisting of only 12 lines, always written in the presence of a rabbi and signed by witnesses.  It declares that the marriage has been dissolved, and that the former spouses may enter into new marriages. Unlike a civil divorce decree, it does not contain any details about division of property or child custody.

According to Jewish law, a woman cannot enter a new valid marriage until her previous marriage has been dissolved by the issuance of a Get. If she has children with her new husband, they are not automatically acknowledged as members of the Jewish community and would need to go through a conversion process in order to marry within the faith.

The husband and wife need not both be physically present when the Get is drafted in order for it to be valid. Especially if they are estranged because of domestic abuse, one or both can send a representative to act on his or her behalf at the signing of the Get.

Florida courts do not require Jewish couples to obtain a Get at any point in civil divorce proceedings, just as they do not require Catholic couples to have the Church annul their marriages. Religious requirements rarely play a role in Florida family law cases.

Denomination Matters

A Get cannot take the place of a civil divorce, but how much civil divorce affects religious divorce varies from one denomination of Judaism to another. In Orthodox Judaism, the Get is, for all practical purposes, the only way to end a marriage. Even if an Orthodox Jewish couple gets a civil divorce, remarriage within the faith is not possible until a Get is issued. Several years ago, an Orthodox Jewish couple in New York, Yoel Weiss and Rivky Stein, were the subject of media attention when he refused to grant her a Get.

In Conservative Judaism, divorced couples still often end their marriages with a Get, but it is much easier to end the marriage without a Get than it is in Orthodox Judaism. If the husband refuses to grant his wife a Get, the Beit Din (rabbinical court) can annul the marriage, and the wife will be able to enter into a new Jewish marriage. Reform Judaism does not require a Get; it considers a civil divorce sufficient to end the marriage.

Contact Alan Burton About Divorce in Florida

Alan Burton is a family law attorney whose goal is to make divorce as painless as possible for couples who are going through it. Contact Alan R. Burton in Boca Raton, Florida for a consultation about your divorce case.

Q: What is a Financial Affidavit, and How is it Used?

A: A financial affidavit looks a lot like an itemized tax return. It is a document on which couples in the process of divorce list their income sources and expenses, and where they classify their assets and liabilities as marital or non-marital property. The purpose of the document is to determine equitable distribution of property, including spousal support payments, if any.  Couples with and without children must file a financial affidavit.

Q: What is the Difference Between the Long Form Affidavit and the Short Form Affidavit?

A: As their names suggest, the difference between the two affidavits is the length and level of detail. The long form affidavit is a multi-page document with much more detail. All divorces require a family law financial affidavit. If at least one spouse has an individual annual gross income of at least $50,000, the couple must file the long form affidavit.

Q: When Should You File the Financial Affidavit?

A: Ideally, you should file the affidavit of support with your petition for divorce. You must get the document notarized before you file it with the court. You must deliver a copy of the complete affidavit to your spouse within 45 days of filing for divorce.

Q: How Does Domestic Violence Affect the Financial Affidavit?

A: Even if there is domestic violence involved in a divorce case, the parties must still file a financial affidavit.  The difference is that, if you have a protective order against your spouse because of domestic violence, you are not required to list your address on the financial affidavit.  If this is the case, you must file a Petitioner’s Request for Confidential Filing of Address. In other words, you must disclose your address to the court, but not to your spouse.

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Even in relatively uncomplicated divorce cases, it still helps to get a professional legal opinion.  Contact Alan R. Burton in Boca Raton, Florida for advice about your family law financial affidavit.

Details of the Zelman Case

In 2014, Martin Zelman was in his 80s and suffering from dementia and short-term memory loss.  His son Robert Zelman petitioned the court to appoint him or one of his sisters (Martin’s daughters) as their father’s guardian. The petition also mentioned Lois Zelman, Martin’s wife to whom he had been married since 1993, among Martin’s “next of kin,” but it did not recommend her as a guardian and implied that she was an unsuitable choice to act as such. The court appointed Robert as Martin’s temporary guardian, in charge of his health and financial affairs.  As soon as the court appointed Robert as Martin’s guardian, Robert, acting on Martin’s behalf, filed a motion with the court to have Lois removed from the marital home, claiming that she had been abusing and neglecting Martin in his vulnerable state of health. In response, Lois provided the court with evidence that she and Martin were happily married and that she had remained true to her vow to care for him in sickness and in health. The court ruled that Lois must leave the couple’s apartment, and she complied, moving into another apartment in the same building.

Lois argued that Martin was not sufficiently incapacitated as to require a guardian; she proposed instead that the court appoint a power of attorney and health surrogate for him and that he receive in-home health assistance around the clock. Many other petitions followed, filed by Lois and by Robert, disagreeing over details of the extent of Martin’s incapacity and over whom, if anyone, the court should appoint as his guardian. An attorney representing Lois alleged that Martin’s children were trying to force Martin to divorce Lois. The court ruled that, even if the court dissolved the marriage, such a dissolution would not count as a divorce, and that Lois would be entitled to the same assets from Martin’s estate, upon his death, as if they had still been married.

The Appeals Court’s Decision

The appeals court eventually ruled that the previous decisions of the lower courts were so convoluted that the only way to resolve the matter was to re-try the case from the beginning. For example, the court ruled that Martin was not competent to marry but was competent to file a lawsuit, which does not make sense. The issue of whether Lois was actually a “party” in any of the lawsuits or merely an “interested person” was also a hopelessly confusing issue.

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Cases like Zelman v. Zelman, when one of the parties is in poor health because of old age, make divorce even more complicated. Contact Alan R. Burton in Boca Raton, Florida for a consultation relating to your elderly relative’s legal decisions.

Local media have recently highlighted the complexities of high asset divorce by reporting on the divorce of Nancy Hua and Dennis Tsung, an affluent South Florida couple. As of August 2017, the details of how to divide the couple’s assets have yet to be completely worked out. The rulings issued so far in the divorce and in Nancy Hua’s appeal reveal many interesting things about the way Florida courts view property division between divorced spouses.

Wealth Plus Time Does Not Always Equal Permanent Alimony

Nancy and Dennis were married for almost 18 years. In the original divorce case, Nancy requested permanent alimony of $20,000 per month. For most of the marriage she had been a stay-at-home parent with no income. The spousal support award she received was for rehabilitative alimony; Dennis was to pay her $2,500 per month for two years. He was also to pay $12,000 toward her educational expenses; the plan was for her to attend nursing school and then begin working. The court estimated that she would be able to earn an annual income of $50,000 working full time as a nurse. The reason for the court’s decision to award rehabilitative alimony is that Nancy Hua had plenty of potential for gainful employment. She was in her early forties and in good health, and her children were old enough not to require full time childcare.

What Counts as Marital Property?

Another point of contention in the divorce was some valuable shares that Dennis Tsung owned in a Chinese company. He argued, though, that the shares should not be considered marital property because it was his father who had bought the shares in Dennis’ name. Nancy, Dennis, and the elder Mr. Tsung agreed that Dennis was legally registered as the owner of the shares. The reason for registering the shares in Dennis Tsung’s name was so that, upon his father’s death, he would not have to pay a 40% tax to inherit them, as Chinese law would require. A footnote in the appeal that, in an attempt to avoid paying 40% of the value of the shares in taxes, Dennis left himself open to the possibility of being ordered to pay 50% of their value in spousal support to his ex-wife. The court ruled that because the shares legally belong to Dennis, they are, in fact, marital property.

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Alan R. Burton practices family law in Palm Beach County, Florida. Contact Alan Burton to find out how he can help with property division in your high asset divorce.

No matter how often divorce attorneys warn clients to stay off social media, we are constantly surprised by how many people ignore this basic advice. Some clients believe their online activities are okay because they “defriended” or “blocked” their spouse. However, you likely still have some online contacts in common with your spouse, and those “friends” may always report information back to your spouse. Information online is widely discoverable, so it is always the best idea to stay off these sites or even suspend your profile until after your divorce is final. The following are some issues that social media posts may adversely affect in your divorce.

Spousal Support and Property Division

If your spouse has significantly greater earning capacity than you, you may likely want to seek a greater portion of the marital assets and property or spousal support. However, social media posts may belie your claims of financial hardship and need for support. Photos of you on vacation, at concerts, or even a simple “check-in” at an expensive restaurant may give your spouse ammunition to fight against any spousal support orders.

Child Custody

If you and your spouse are arguing about any custody or time-sharing issues, you never want to risk looking like an unfit parent. For example, if you post any status updates or pictures that may indicate you are participating in excessive use of alcohol, drugs, or other partying activities, your spouse may use those to try to demonstrate that you are not acting in the best interests of your children.

Additionally, even if you do not post your own photos, there is always the chance that a friend will tag you in a post or photo. Even associating with questionable people can cast doubt on your reputation and your ability to act as a fit parent and role model.

The Ability to Negotiate with Your Spouse

It is often very tempting to air dirty laundry on social media sites. When emotions are running high, people may post negative messages regarding their estranged or separated spouse. This may cause tensions to rise and can make your spouse less likely to want to work together to come to agreements in divorce. Such acrimonious relationships often lead to litigation and lengthy battles to decide even the smallest of issues in a divorce.

In short, it is always best to stay off social media sites during a divorce and never risk that something you post may be taken the wrong way. If you are considering divorce, experienced Boca Raton divorce attorney Alan R. Burton can assist you with every aspect of your case.

If a couple cannot reach an agreement regarding who may stay in the home, the issue will have to be litigated in court. The court will look for a way to most equitably divide the property in accordance with Florida divorce law. Often, this may require the couple to sell the family home at fair market value, pay off the mortgage, and then divide the net proceeds equitably, if there are any.

Note that equitable distribution of property is not always 50/50 as the court considers many factors when deciding how to fairly divide property. For example, if one spouse had an affair, gambling problem, shopping addiction, or other factor that caused them to waste marital funds, the court may award that spouse significantly less proceeds for the home sale.

Selling the home may not always be preferable for divorcing spouses, especially if there are children who do not wish to be uprooted or if there will not be enough net proceeds for future down payments on separate properties. While a court will examine all of these circumstances, there is always a chance that the judge will order the sale of the family house in a Florida divorce even if it is against the wishes of the spouses.

The Importance of Working Towards Agreements in Divorce

Divorce can be complicated, especially if you and your spouse own a home or other substantial property. If you cannot agree on certain matters, such as who will remain living in the house, you risk leaving those decisions up to the divorce court. The decision by the court may not be the solution either of you preferred, so it is always better to negotiate and work together to agree on important matters. Working together may be difficult if your relationship has deteriorated beyond a certain point, and in such situations, an experienced divorce attorney can work to negotiate on your behalf.

An attorney will not let emotions cloud his judgment during the divorce process and is therefore able to focus on what is best for you. Spouses who have qualified attorneys often have a better chance of coming to agreements and avoiding litigation. This is usually preferable as litigation can be costly, time-consuming, stressful, and will often end up in a less desirable result—such as selling the home and dividing the profits.

Contact an Experienced Boca Raton Divorce Attorney for Assistance

Alan R. Burton is a highly experienced divorce attorney who has many resources to try to keep divorcing spouses out of court and come to agreements on their own. If you are facing divorce, contact our office today for help.