This book will focus on the rights each spouse has under certain laws, situations, and circumstances, and how the division of the property will be decided by the court or through negotiation.
My husband (transitional) has been gone since December - I have filed for custody through my lawyer (which took everything I had in savings) and have a temporary Ex Parte custody order (b/c of continued substance abuse and current drug charges (plural) on his record) and child support through DSS (of which I hae not recieved one penny - not one - since he left.) I have tried to set up a property settlement agreement through my lawyer - we mailed it to him in January, but he refused to discuss it. He has had no contact with me or his children since the first of March. Once December (this year) rolls around, can I file for divorce EVEN IF HE WON'T work with me on property settlement? What if I can no longer continue to afford the $1,100 / month house payment with no support. The loan is in my name, but the deed of course in in both names. Also, if he's not willing and not supporting his kids, has wrongfully broken into our home and taken things (I consider it stealing, but the magistrate dismissed the case, because he admitted to it) to pawn for his habit. What are MY rights to the things in the house, etc - if I need grocery money etc. He has not been held accountable for ANYTHING - what are MY rights?!
Your county should have an agency to assist in collecting CS. It maybe with the DA's office. You can also file a TRO so the ex cannot break in a steal stuff without breaking the order, for which he would be arrested. I don't think in your case a CS order or any order is going to help much because your ex is an addict and doesn't care about those kinda things. So I'm afraid you're on your own. Look to your county's various support agencies for things like subsidized housing, child care, food stamps, WIC, things of that nature. If you're a single working mom, you will probably need those things.