Some marriages may last for decades, others just a few years. No matter how long a marriage lasts, divorce can have a profound effect on a business, unless the business owner took steps ahead of time to minimize the impact of divorce. One of the best ways to minimize the impact is with a prenuptial agreement. In the event of divorce, a prenuptial agreement can prove invaluable in protecting a business and its assets. Massachusetts considers a variety of factors when deciding how to divide a marital estate, and a prenuptial agreement can help protect a business that would not
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Posts by Mayer & Haranas
How Do Divorce Modifications Work In Massachusetts?
At the time of your divorce, you likely address issues regarding child support, custody, health insurance, college education costs, and division of property. However, not all agreements and judgments contemplate the future, or others go through changes that warrant alterations to an original agreement or judgment. This is why some people need to return to court to modify prior agreements or judgments. It is important to learn how these modifications work. Change of Circumstances One of the most important things to know is that you must have a material change of circumstances to return to court regarding a modification. This
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We’re getting divorced and grandparents want visitation too.
Additional Information: My husband and I are getting divorced after an 8 year marriage. We’ve agreed to try to keep a sense of normalcy for our 3 young children, so they will live most of the time with me in our home in Sherborn but we haven’t yet come to an agreement about when they will stay with their dad and both sets of grandparents want to see the kids too. Is this something that can get written into the divorce agreement? ATTORNEY ANSWER: Yes, although it isn’t typical to provide for grandparent visitation in a Separation Agreement, if you
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I’d like to buy a house. Can I get additional support from my ex?
Additional Information: Can the provisions of a divorce be changed after finalization? My ex and I have been divorced for almost 6 years, and I’d like to buy a home in Framingham for myself and our kids and would like additional support from my ex. What is the process and is it difficult? ATTORNEY ANSWER: You can always petition the court to modify child related provisions of the Separation Agreement post-divorce upon a change in circumstances by filing a Complaint for Modification. In your case, your ex-husband’s income would need to have increased since the divorce, resulting in a higher
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We were divorcing amicably but now his lawyer is stating negative things about me.
Additional Information: I am in the middle of a divorce and my husband and I are on amicable terms for the most part. We agreed on joint custody of our 5 year old daughter, and that I’d stay in our Wayland home with her. His lawyer recently sent me papers but stated quite a few things that my spouse is saying he never said. Including things like I am mentally cruel, and neglectful of duty. I am going to hire a divorce attorney soon but was wondering does it seems like his lawyer is setting it up to ask for
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When we divorce, will I be liable for half of my ex-wife’s recent school loan?
Additional Information: My wife and I are getting divorced. She took out a loan so she could go back to school, get a job and contribute to the mortgage payments on our Sherborn home. She hasn’t finished the program so technically the “community” hasn’t benefited from her going to school. Will I be liable for half of the loan? ATTORNEY ANSWER: All liabilities, including school loans, will be either be divided or assigned to one party. The court considers a number of factors including the nature of the loan (i.e. whether it was a joint loan, or a loan used
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Do I need to wait for the divorce to be final to create a new will?
Additional Information: My husband and I are getting divorced. We have pretty much figured out how to handle the finances, custody and parenting schedule, and I got the house in Ashland, so now I’m thinking about how to go about creating a new will, and other new documents such as power of attorney. My husband had taken care of all that and I want to have all these matters squared away. Do I need to wait for the divorce to be final to start working on these documents? ATTORNEY ANSWER: Yes. Once the divorce is final, it is always wise
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Will my husband be entitled to half of our house downpayment that was gifted to me when we divorce?
Additional Information: When my husband and I got married, instead of a having a lavish wedding, my parents gave me money (about $35K) to put towards the down payment on our Natick house that we bought together. I am now in the early stages of filing for a divorce, will my husband get half of that money? ATTORNEY ANSWER: It largely depends on the length of the marriage. If your marriage was short term (less than 5 years), then typically the money lent by your parents for the down payment on the house would belong to you. If the marriage
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What are requirements for an annulment in MA?
Additional Information: I was just married in Milford, MA and now realize it was a mistake. What are requirements for getting an annulment in Massachusetts? ATTORNEY ANSWER: An action to anul a marriage can be brought in the probate court if the validity of a marriage is doubted. The statutory grounds include incest and bigamy, and do not include mistake, although you could obtain an annulment for fraud, impotency, duress or for other reasons. If the marriage is valid, then the remedy is to obtain a divorce.
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Can a judge order my husband to sell his stock to pay our mortgage?
Additional Information: My husband and I live in the Boston Metrowest area and are currently 3 months behind on our mortgage payments and have been separated for 6 months. My husband is refusing to cash in $70K in stock to help pay the monthly mortgage. Can a judge order him to sell his stock? ATTORNEY ANSWER: The Judge will usually determine what assets are in the marital estate. If the stock is part of the marital estate the judge could order him to sell the stock.
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