
Storming Out
Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has become a media sensation of late, after she claimed she had sex with Donald Trump before he became president, something Trump has denied. Glendon Crain filed the petition for divorce on July 18 in state district court in Kaufman County, located just southeast of Dallas. In his 13-page divorce petition, Crain alleged adultery as grounds for the divorce and seeks sole custody of the couple’s daughter, child support from Clifford, a financial award, and disproportionate share of the couple’s property.Cheating and Divorce
I’ve written about divorce and cheating before. Adultery can be the cause of a divorce, but can it impact the outcome? Since Florida became a no-fault state, the fact that, Stormy had a fling with Trump would not be a thunderbolt in court. While anyone can file for divorce without proving grounds, there is still a statutory basis for infidelity to be an issue in your divorce proceedings, but not in the way most people think. Here’s a quick review of why adultery can potentially creep into your divorce:Equitable Distribution
Adultery may impact the division of property. Florida is an equitable distribution state, and it is presumed that property should be evenly divided.This presumption may be overcome by proof that one spouse intentionally wasted marital assets.This waste is sometimes known as dissipation. Paying for expensive jewelry, foreign trips, rent, car payments, and dinners for girlfriends and boyfriends is considered wasting marital assets. The court has the power to reduce an adulterer’s equitable distribution to credit the marital estate for waste.