When spouses decide to end a marriage, the court and legal fees can really add up. This is why some divorcees request that the court force his or her former spouse to pay all legal fees. If the court should decide to honor such a request, it can be financially burdensome for the paying spouse. To avoid such circumstances, many couples opt to sign a prenuptial agreement that predetermines who will pay for what in the event of a divorce. This exact issue came ‘onto the field’ when ex-NFL star Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson divorced his estranged wife, Evelyn Lozada, in Florida.
During an interview with “Inside the NFL,” the football star confirmed that being married had been ‘an honor.’ He also expressed regret over his divorce. Nonetheless, the couple did have a prenuptial agreement in place which governed the divorce proceedings. Johnson filed divorce papers in response to his now ex-wife’s petition for divorce in August.
While no couple anticipates divorce, planning ahead is often considered a smart move. No one knows what the future will hold and a prenuptial agreement, like the one governing Johnson’s divorce case, can help make a tough situation easier to bear. While most divorce cases do not involve the media scrutiny seen with celebrity couples, the issues and difficulties are the same for nearly every couple and finances are almost always a concern.
In Florida, often one spouse will remain in a significantly superior financial position than the other following a divorce. In such cases, a prenuptial agreement is designed to protect both spouses from unfairly allocated post-marital burden. Without a prenuptial agreement, the judge presiding over a divorce case will make the ultimate choices concerning legal fees and other financial awards. With or without a prenuptial agreement, divorce is hard. Planning ahead can help ease the strain.
