Monday, October 17, 2005

V is for Vomit Part II

More things that make you go "Rrrruaarrghhhh!":

Imagine you marry a divorced woman with kids, but in the end, she doesn't like you after all. Maybe you get stuck with alimony, but child support is no problem if you didn't have any kids with her, right?

Wrong.

If you acquiesced in her not seeking support from her ex, you are responsible for providing child support for the other bloke's kids. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

Or, imagine you get incensed and try and sue NJ State Judges for violating your civil rights. Someone tried. Federal court found that they were immune. So who do you sue? :)

Or imagine that you are a disabled police oficer, and your alimony payments and other difficulties have driven you into bankruptcy. No problem, NJ will take the money directly from your disability and retirement pensions. The case law under this is really solid, nothing wrong here. Except that it makes me want to projectile vomit. The motto of divorced men in NJ should be: into bankruptcy, and beyond!

Speaking of which, the following caught my attention, certainly another case of the legal system incentivizing the wrong things. Apparently, if you file for bankruptcy before the divorce is filed, equitable distribution is held up until the bankruptcy stuff settles. Which is good for men, who generally get stuck with the bills for everything. Not certain I am reading this correctly, but pretty sure.

So Ma Jersey says:

Don't pay off those debts or try to make good -
Or you'll be the chump of the neighborhood.
File bankruptcy right away.
You will lose if you delay.

Thanks Ma,
-M

4 comments:

One man said...

Try incorporating, perhaps in Nevada. "Control" you assets instead of "owning" them.

MisAnDrope said...

Interesting idea, but I am quite sure that control will be seen as ownership by the NJ courts... You can't have full control, and probably not majority control of assets. In a similar vein someone said the words 'Family Trust' in my presence not long ago. Of course, one has to HAVE some assets to protect first, and right now I am focusing on retaining enough to eat... but I am (in a tinny star-trek computer voice:)...working...(/tinny voice)on this.

-M

Meg said...

Saw you stopped by ~ just wanted to clarify that it is not you I find depressing but the dreadful information you unearth. Be assured I appreciate your efforts! I realize that even now, after seeing everything I have, I still tend to believe that there are basic common sense notions that the family courts in this country would simply not ignore. I have generally found this position to be consistently wrong but I suppose I hold out hope. Sometimes ignorance is bliss :)

Meg

MisAnDrope said...

Oh, I wasn't insulted or troubled either way.

And as far as thinking that eventually the system should make sense, I am the same way. It is hard not to think that somehow, it must eventually work out. People keep accusing me of being an optimist, and I think that they are right. Of course, I think that they know what I am up against, and my optimism LOOKS dark from the outside.

It is so very hard not to think that at some point it would make sense, that there would be some rationality to it. But, in my experience, when you finally think you have found a point of law or some incontrovertable way to bring reality to bear on the NJ Courts, mostly they 'just make stuff up'.

Literally, they fabricate other whacked-out reasons for doing whatever they wanted to do in the first place (mostly scr*w the guy), and they do it, and unless (and even if) you can afford to appeal, and appeal, you probably don't get very far.

Which is why (besides lack of funds) I am pro se now, and think I will stay that way. I can tilt irrationaly at windmills just as well by myself, as with a $300/hour attorney. :)

Thanks for the visits, the kind comments, and the links.

-M