Dating During a Divorce

When we work with individuals going through a divorce, they often ask us if they can date before their divorce is finalized. After so many years of unhappiness, they are ready to jump back into the single life and start the search for a new soulmate. Florida is a no-fault divorce state, which means that legally you can date before a divorce is finalized. However, from a practical standpoint, we strongly advise against it; dating during a divorce can harm your divorce process and worsen its outcome.

Just because you are ready to move on does not mean your ex-spouse is. They make become angry and vengeful if they see you with a new love interest. To attempt to punish you they may drag out the divorce proceedings, refuse to settle, or increase their demands for additional timesharing or assets. Any of these tactics add stress, time, and expense to your divorce process. Moreover, there is a chance that they will succeed.

Your ex-spouse may try to convince the judge that your new significant other is a bad influence on the children, that the significant other is trying to alienate the children from the ex-spouse, that you are more focused on your new love interest than the children’s well-being, or that you and your significant other are acting inappropriately around the children. If your ex-spouse is successful in persuading the judge to see their point of view, you can lose some of your timesharing allotment. Additionally, introducing your children to a new love interest before they have had time to process and accept your divorce can be traumatizing for them.

You also may receive a reduced allocation of marital property. If your ex-spouse learns that you are spending money on a new love interest, they can claim that you are using up marital assets. This may lead to an unequal division of assets in your divorce judgement to make up for the funds that you have already spent on your new significant other. Moreover, if you are hoping to be on the receiving side of an alimony award and you move in with someone, that can reduce or eliminate your alimony.

Some people may think that they can secretly date someone and their ex-spouse won’t know. In the age of instant connectivity, there are no secrets. Even if you don’t post anything on social media, someone else might, one of their friends may see you out with your new significant other, your children may notice make-up smudges or cologne on your clothes that doesn’t smell familiar… the list of possibilities of how they could find out is endless.

Divorce is stressful enough – don’t complicate it further by dating. Troy Legal has helped hundreds of clients navigate their divorces and move on with the next phase of their lives.  Contact us today for expert advice on managing your divorce as painlessly and quickly as possible.

ABOUT TROY LEGAL, P.A.

Troy Legal, P.A. was founded in 2009 and serves clients throughout South Florida. Troy Legal, P.A., specializes in Marital and Family Law, providing reputable legal services for prenuptial and co-habitation agreements, paternity cases, adoption matters, alimony and child support, time sharing and parenting plans, drafting of qualified domestic relations orders (qdros), mediation services, equitable distributions, collaborative law, post-judgement modification and enforcement, domestic violence cases, and dissolution of marriage or divorce.  Troy Legal, P.A. is dedicated to serving clients through compassionate and aggressive representation, while upholding the highest degree of ethical standards.