Husband’s multiple affairs leave wife in legal limbo
Dear Abby: My husband of five years has confessed to affairs that resulted in two children. I suspected that something was up when after a year of marriage he seemed distant. Despite our almost 15-year age difference, I never in a million years thought he would do something like this.
A few months ago, he started disappearing again. At first it was a day here and a day there, but then it became weeks. I finally confronted him, and he confessed about the affairs. He claims the mother of the newborn is a prostitute and that it was a “mistake.” He wants to be involved in the 3-year-old little girl’s life, but not the newborn’s. At that point I told him he needed to leave and remove his belongings from the JEANNE PHILLIPS DEAR ABBY
house.
My friends say that legally I can’t put him out of a house he owned before we were married. However, he did buy a home during our marriage. (I found that out accidentally.) It’s where the 3-year-old lives.
I feel I am entitled to something. I asked him to have the older child’s mother move, but he refused. Where does that leave me? With nothing? I don’t know what to do. I don’t have money for a lawyer and have nowhere to go. Please advise. -- What A Mess In Philadelphia
Dear What A Mess: Your friends mean well, but you need a more informed source of information than they can offer. Because divorce laws vary from state to state, go online to womenslaw.org and search for “divorce in Pennsylvania.” You will find basic information about divorce laws in your state, which I think you will find both interesting and rewarding.