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My Parents' Divorce Settlement Is Forcing Me Into A Huge Legal/financial Burden. What Are My Options?

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I’m 25 and in a tough spot because of my parents’ divorce. I’m hoping for some legal insight into what I can do here.

Here’s the situation: My parents have been separated for two years. My dad has been borderline stalking my mom (spamming her and me with hundreds of messages a day, creating multiple group chats and fake iCloud accounts to harass her). She probably has grounds for a restraining order, but she hasn’t pursued it yet. They have a court date on Tuesday to finalize their divorce settlement.

Initially, my mom planned to let my dad keep the house (instead of splitting it 50-50) with the condition that when he sells it or passes away, the proceeds would be split evenly between me and her. I thought this was reasonable, given that forcing him out now could create unnecessary harm. However, after multiple failed mediation attempts, he wouldn’t agree to anything. Yesterday, my mom called to tell me the plan changed. The new proposal is this: I would receive 100% ownership of the house when my dad passes or sells it. This is what she landed on with her lawyer.

But there are major conditions attached:

-My dad would continue to live there for the rest of his life- fine.

—He is supposed to pay the property taxes and property insurance after the settlement. However, if he doesn’t, the responsibility falls on me. Right now, my mom is covering the insurance because my dad refuses to pay it, and I don’t trust him to take over.

—If the property taxes aren’t paid, the town could seize the house, leaving me with nothing.

-The property is worth a lot but isn’t in amazing condition because my dad runs his business out of it, and selling it in the future would likely be a huge headache. But I’m gonna have to regardless cuz I don’t want it and want to reinvest elsewhere eventually.

-There are renters on the property, which would make me a landlord by default. I’d have to manage this or hire someone to do it.

My mom insists this is the only way to finalize the divorce. She says she’s desperate to move on and is pressuring me to accept the deal. She told me that if I refuse, the divorce proceedings could drag on, costing her more time and money. She’s even implied that if I don’t agree, she might never be able to fully separate from my dad.

Some might say I could benefit from the rental income, but I have a great career and don’t need the money. Realistically, I wouldn’t even see much of it since my dad would still be involved, and he’s difficult to deal with.

Additionally, I’d need to hire a real estate lawyer to navigate the legal details, and I probably don’t even fully understand all the implications of this agreement.

I feel like I’m being blindsided and forced to take on a huge financial and legal burden to solve a problem that isn’t mine. If I say yes, I’ll inherit all the risk and responsibilities of homeownership without any immediate benefit. If I say no, my mom might stay stuck in a toxic marriage.

What are my options here? Do I have any legal recourse to push back against this? Should I hire my own lawyer before agreeing to anything? I don’t have any money to do that tho. I feel completely overwhelmed and don’t want to make a decision I’ll regret. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

submitted by /u/goldenwaves_
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