• Your ex quits their job to stay home while the new spouse works
• The stepparent's health insurance now covers your child
• Your ex claims they can't afford current support due to new household expenses

Will it affect my parenting time?

Will it end spousal support?

Taking an ex's remarriage in stride

• Sudden changes in financial behavior, such as unusual withdrawals or transfers
• Missing bank statements or restricted access to accounts
• Undervalued business interests or delayed income
• New accounts, debts, or “loans” to friends or family
• Overpaying taxes or creditors to reclaim funds later

Why this matters in Michigan divorces

Steps you should take immediately

1. Gather and secure financial records

• Tax returns (at least for the last three years)
• Bank and investment account statements
• Business records and profit statements
• Real estate documents and appraisals

2. Track unusual activity

3. Avoid confrontation without a plan

4. Work with a high-asset divorce attorney

How courts respond to hidden assets

• Award you a larger portion of the marital estate
• Impose financial sanctions
• Question your spouse’s credibility on other issues

• Relocation: A parent moves a substantial distance that disrupts parenting time.
• Safety risks: Abuse, neglect or substance issues that impact the child.
• Lifestyle changes: New conditions that affect stability or caregiving.
• Order violations: Ongoing failure to follow the current custody terms.

The burden of proof and legal threshold

How courts evaluate the child’s best interests

• Emotional bonds: The relationship between you and your child.
• Home stability: The consistency of each living environment.
• Parental capacity: Your ability to meet daily needs.
• Child’s preference: This is considered if the child is mature.

The process to request a modification

• Friend of the court review: Investigation and recommendations.
• Court hearing: Presentation of evidence by both sides.
• Strict deadlines: Required timing for filing and responses.

Speak with a family law attorney about your options

How does adoption affect legal parentage?

How do Michigan courts decide custody after adoption?

• The emotional bond and affection between the child and each parent
• Each parent’s ability to give the child love, guidance and religious upbringing
• Each parent’s ability to provide daily care and necessities such as food, clothing, medical care and other basic needs
• How long the child has lived in a stable setting and the value of keeping consistent routines and continuity
• The stability and longevity of each parent’s home environment
• Each parent’s moral fitness as it relates to parenting
• The mental and physical health of each parent
• The child’s history and adjustment at home, at school and in the community
• The child’s preference, depending on whether or not the court finds the child mature enough to make their own decision
• Each parent’s willingness and ability to support and encourage the child’s relationship with the other parent
• Any history of domestic violence
• Any other factor the judge finds relevant to deciding custody in the child’s best interests

Planning for a child’s future

How can you defend yourself against allegations of parental alienation?

• Present evidence that counters the other parent’s assertions: In a custody case involving allegations of parental alienation, the other parent is bound to make assertions that either misconstrue the facts or outright lie about them. You have to be able to counter with compelling evidence. So, consider whether there are witnesses who can speak to the bond you have with your child and how you act with care towards them. Also consider whether there’s any documentation that may directly contradict what the other parent claims to be true.
• Highlight the other parent’s motives: If the other parent falsely accuses you of alienation, then they’re probably doing so for a reason. They may be hurt by your divorce or acts that have occurred in the past, or they might be upset that you’re in a new relationship. Either way, if you can show that the other parent is biased, has a history of being dishonest or has been inconsistent in their statements, then you can undermine their credibility and destroy the allegations that they’ve made.
• Consider a professional evaluation: There are multiple ways to have your child and your circumstances evaluated. You could have your child visit a mental health professional who may be able to better gauge how they feel about spending time with each parent, or you can request a full-blown child custody evaluation where a third-party observes parenting time, interviews the parents and the child and analyzes other collateral information to determine what sort of child custody arrangement is best for the child. This professional help could be pivotal to the outcome in your custody case.

Don’t let false allegation harm your child

1. Considering a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement: These contractual agreements, which can be entered into before or after marriage, specify how assets will be treated in the event of divorce. Therefore, you could specify that your business will be deemed separately owned property if divorce were to occur, which will entirely remove it from the property division process.
2. Keeping the business separate from marital property: If you owned your business prior to getting married, then the best way to protect your interests is to continue to maintain the business as separate property. This means keeping its finances separate from your marital finances and refraining from using marital funds to invest in the business. You might also want to limit your spouse’s involvement in the business to keep it as separated from your marriage as possible.
3. Securing a proper valuation: If it looks like your business is bound to be looped into the property division process, then valuation can be key. If your business isn’t properly valuated, then you could end up with the short end of the stick. You should therefore carefully analyze the various valuation methodologies available to you and choose the one that’s most advantageous to your position and that’ll be best received by the court.
4. Negotiating a buyout: If you really want to keep your business once your divorce is finalized, then you might want to consider buying your spouse out of their ownership portion. Again, valuation can be key here, as it might specify the appropriate amount you’ll need to pay to secure sole ownership of the business. Before making this decision, though, be sure to fully analyze the financial picture before you so that you can make the fully informed decision that’s right for you.

Don’t lose out in your divorce

How poor statements may come back to haunt your divorce

• Child custody determinations: The court is tasked with making decisions that are in your child’s best interests. If you’ve made statements that seem like you won’t facilitate a healthy co-parenting relationship or that are indicative of your own parental shortcomings, then the court may rely on those statements when ruling against you. This means that statements made in a moment can impact the amount of time you get to spend with your children for a long time to come.
• Property division: The marital estate will be divided pursuant to state law in your divorce case. However, the division doesn’t have to be equal. So, if you’ve made statements that lead a judge to believe that you’ve mismanaged marital funds or are hiding marital assets, then the court is more likely to award your spouse a larger portion of the marital estate. This can leave you at a significant financial disadvantage as you head into the next phase of life.
• Spousal support: If the statements in question have tarnished your spouse’s professional reputation, thereby making it difficult for them to maintain, secure or advance their employment, then you may find yourself on the hook for spousal support. This can be a huge financial burden that lasts for years.
• Loss of credibility: Depending on the statements in question, the other parent may use them to attack your credibility and thus the reliability of your testimony. This can taint the court’s view of all pending issues, leaving you at a distinct disadvantage as you navigate your divorce.
• Other legal action: If you make false statements that prove harmful to your spouse, then they might take additional legal action against you. This can lead to more legal fess and stress, and if you’re unsuccessful in defending yourself, then you may be subjected to a significant judgment.

Where to look for evidence to support your position on divorce-related legal issues

• Financial records: It’ll be easier to access records pertaining to marital accounts before breaking the news of divorce to your spouse. This may be especially true if your spouse is controlling, meaning that once they know you’re seeking a way out of the marriage they may squirrel these records away and block your access to them. While there are legal maneuvers you can implement to still get your hands on these records, it’s best to see if you can look them over and copy them while you’re still with your spouse.
• An inventory: You should get your fair share of the marital estate, but that’ll be dependent upon what’s identified as being contained within that estate. In too many cases, spouses try to hide or spend away marital assets once they’re informed of their spouse’s intent to seek divorce. This can make it harder to locate those assets and loop them into the property division process. So, consider conducting an inventory before filing for divorce so that it’s easier for you to see what all should be incorporated into the property division process.
• Social media: You may have free access to your spouse’s social media pages at the moment, but that’s likely to change once you file for divorce. There may be posts on there that are helpful to your position, too, whether they show your spouse making statements or acting in a way that shows parental unfitness or that demonstrate that they’ve mismanaged marital wealth. This evidence can be key to multiple legal issues you’ll confront in your divorce.
• Your spouse’s statements and actions: Once you file for divorce, your spouse may be more careful with what they say, making it difficult to show how their statements and actions have a bearing on your divorce proceeding. So, in the lead up to your divorce, be sure to take notes, pictures and videos that may help you in your marriage dissolution case. If you’re in a dangerous situation, though, such as being subjected to domestic violence, then you need to find a fast and safe way out of your marriage.

Step into your divorce prepared to fight for what you deserve

Take control of your divorce proceedings

Medical support and childcare expenses will be part of a child support order

Make sure to look out for a child’s best interests with child support