Don’t start dating until your marriage is officially over

 Posted on July 25, 2018 in Divorce

Since Texas is a “no-fault” divorce state, is it okay to start dating again before your divorce is final?

While it can be frustrating to sit around waiting, it’s not a good idea to start dating before your marriage is officially over. You could quickly complicate what might otherwise be a relatively straightforward divorce.

Your spouse may become vindictive

An uncontested divorce, where the two parties basically agree on everything, is far quicker — and cheaper — than a contested divorce.

If your spouse feels betrayed (even if it’s irrational), he or she may retaliate by fighting over big and small issues. Unless you want your divorce delayed for months while you fight over everything from the custody of the cat to spousal support, it’s wiser to wait.

You may be entitled to less support or fewer assets

If you expect to be granted spousal support, being romantically linked with someone new could affect the amount you receive. Dating someone else is technically still considered adultery, and judges are free to consider the behavior of each spouse during the marriage when awarding support.

Even if you just want a fair division of the assets, dating could hurt your case. Any money you spend on your dates or on a new partner could be deemed a waste of the marital assets and negatively affect your settlement.

You could hamper your custody case

Almost everything you do can become a custody issue if it has any possibility of affecting your children’s mental health or well-being. Your spouse may argue that you’re putting your social life ahead of your children and exposing your children to potential harm.

Even if that’s untrue and the judge doesn’t buy your spouse’s argument, your divorce case could drag on even longer — which is definitely not what you want.

Ultimately, it’s far better to “wait to date” until your divorce is final.