I admit it, I am a fan of true crime drams. Netflix has a series named “Dirty John/Betty Broderick”. The second season features Betty Broderick, a true story of a woman entangled in a terrible divorce to which she has also contributed to the complexity and expense of the divorce she does not want.
In Season 2 episode 3, her husband who is a medical doctor and an attorney practicing law in the specialty of medical malpractice, is having dinner at the club with other attorneys and discussing that one of them will be filing for divorce from his wife and what advice to the other attorneys have for him before he files. The advice from his colleagues is rapid fire and specific;
“-close all joint bank checking and savings accounts and sweep the funds into an account in his name only
-secure all liquid assets in his name only, stocks, bonds, cash, coins, antiques, artwork, automobiles, jewelry, anything she could sell for cash
-change the beneficiary on any policy or agreement in which she is named beneficiary
-defer all bonuses and additional compensation under after the established date of separation
-copy all tax returns, deeds, bank statements, 401Ks, pension plans, all bank statements and brokerage accounts
-accelerate any major credit purchases before the date of separation
-make orthodontist appointments for the kids and pay in advance. Get the kids into therapy and pay in advance
-Change your beneficiary with the Social Security Administration so she does not receive your benefits
-Encourage and support her dreams, whatever helps to make her more independent but obviously do not tell her why”
The program is set in the 1970s and 1980s and the expectations around divorce settlements are different now. Every now and then I encounter a woman whose spouse has frozen her out and she literally has no money and no access to money. He has limited and removed her access the marital assets. Once the divorce is settled, she will receive access to her settlement but women settle much faster and for less with no access to money or credit.
Sadly, this can still happen if either party is calculating and cold enough. It can be either spouse too.
I need to shower now.
