Most people are accustomed to negotiating over child custody, the house and bank accounts — but more and more disputes are popping up in new areas.
Here is a list of 5 new things that are becoming common disputes during divorce.
POINTS AND MILES
Yes, people in 2019 are now fighting over who gets the points on credit cards. Why? Isn’t there enough to fight about? Some companies do not ever allow a transfer of points. There are bigger fish to fry, so move on from this argument. I am working on a case where the opposing party is filing a temporary order to hold the points is escrow.
PETS
More and more people are arguing over pets–custody and visitation. Recently, California now allows pet custody plans in a divorce and I expect this will be a trend nationwide over the next 5 years. I have heard many a judge say, the day I have to do a contempt for pet visitation, is the day I retire (FYI she is retired, so I guess the day is here). One of my clients felt the need to argue over the brand of pet food, yes, when you care enough about your pet to argue about the type of food, but not enough to take the dog.
SHARED EQUAL EQUAL EQUAL to the minute custody
Yes, people now are fighting over every minute, and not looking to the best interest of the child. Being an equal parent, does not necessarily mean exactly equal time. For example, Husband leaves work at 4:30am, and wants the exact equal amount of nights. Does this make sense to wake the kids up that early or have the Wife come over to “babysit,”–No
TAX RATE FOR ALIMONY
In 2019 Alimony will no longer be deductible to payor and includable to the payee’s income, and thus, spouses are arguing over the new tax rate.
SOLAR CREDITS
With solar energy you have both credits on your utilities and monthly solar checks, so now people are arguing over the checks and solar credits. One spouse wanted to be reimbursed by the other for the solar credit checks they had been receiving even though their utility bills were already lower due to the addition of solar panels.
Our advice? Don’t fight over things that won’t matter 5 years from now. You may save thousands of dollars. Always consider if the value of the item outweighs the cost to have attorneys and judges resolve it for you.
