Can Dating Hurt My Divorce Case?

The short answer is that it depends on your case and situation. We’ll tease out the details below so you can make the best decision for yourself.

How Dating Can Complicate a Divorce Case

Oftentimes, dating during divorce can provide people with some important emotional support as they endure the legal process of ending their marriage. However, dating during divorce is not always a good idea, as it can end up complicating a divorce case by:

• Precluding the possibility of compromise – Dating during divorce can incite the jealousy and bitterness of an ex, even one who may have been fine with the divorce prior to your new relationship. This, in turn, make an ex unwilling to compromise on important issues of the divorce case, possibly even spurring him or her to start fights or issues over matters that were not issues previously.
• Affecting custody decisions – When children and custody issues are central to a divorce case, dating during divorce can, again, be problematic, as a new partner can be subjected to a lot of scrutiny by an ex’s lawyer (especially if you are serious with this new partner and/or are living with him or her).

  In some cases, dating during divorce may end up impacting final custody decisions, such as if or when a new partner has a criminal history or other potential issues that would steer the court to make a custody decision in favor of your ex.

• Increasing your divorce costs – Another potential consequence of dating during divorce can be that it ends up drawing out your divorce case (because an ex will fight you on everything) and, in turn, drive up the costs of your divorce significantly. In fact, the longer your divorce drags out, the more expensive it will likely be – and longer you have to wait to get on with your life and future.

The Bottom Line on Dating during Divorce: Wait If You Can

When it comes to dating during divorce, the bottom line is that, if you can wait, it’s usually advisable that you do, as divorce can be unpredictable, and you don’t want to do anything that could complicate your case, increase your stress and drive up your divorce costs.

Contact an Experienced Littleton Divorce Attorney at Littleton Lawyers™

When you are ready to proceed with a divorce, you can turn to an experienced Littleton divorce attorney at Littleton Lawyers™ for the best representation. Since 1983, our attorneys have been dedicated to defending our clients’ the rights and interests and helping them favorably resolve their important family legal issues.

Our lawyers know how serious and devastating the impacts of divorce can be. That’s why we are committed to aggressively advocating our clients’ rights and helping them bring their divorce cases to the best possible resolutions.

To get more information about your potential case and rights, meet with us for a free, no obligations initial consultation. To set up a meeting, call us at (303) 794-7422 or email us using the form on this page.

From our law offices in Littleton, we represent clients throughout Colorado, including in the Denver Metro Area, Arapahoe County, Adams County, Jefferson County and the cities of Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Castle Rock, Westminster, Centennial and Aurora.