Should You Take A Cheating Spouse Back Or File For A Divorce In Pinellas County?

Extra-marital affairs devastate trust in a marriage and are one of the most commonly cited causes in Pinellas County divorces. There are situations in which a wronged partner chooses to forgive and salvage the relationship. Should you take your spouse back if they cheated? Our Seminole divorce attorney explains important factors to consider and how taking them back could impact your rights in future divorce proceedings.

Can You Overcome Infidelity In Your Marriage? 

Psych Central reports that nearly half of all people in monogamous relationships have cheated on their partner at least once. When it happens in a marriage, it is particularly difficult to forgive and get past.

Unfortunately, adultery is one of the most common types of marital misconduct and is extremely hard to overcome. Survey results indicate only a quarter of couples remained together in the aftermath. Only you can determine whether you are willing and able to put the incident behind you and forgive and focus on rebuilding your relationship. Consider the following questions when making your decision:

• Was it a physical or emotional affair?
• Was it a brief encounter or ongoing?
• Can you identify issues in your marriage that may have prompted your spouse to stray?
• Are they sorry for their actions and committed to making your marriage work?
• Are you both willing to attend counseling and be honest in these sessions?
• Are you prepared for it to take long months or even years to rebuild trust?

How Forgiving Adultery Could Impact Your Rights In A Pinellas County Divorce

While you may be willing to try and forgive your partner and work on your marriage, it is important to be aware of how your decision could impact your rights in the future. Under the Florida Statutes, adultery or other fault grounds are no longer required to get a divorce in Pinellas County. However, the fact that your spouse cheated could impact your rights in divorce in other ways:

• Adultery could benefit you in terms of marital property division, entitling you to a greater portion of assets in a settlement.
• It could also be a factor when awarding alimony payments, entitling you to a greater amount.
• Unfortunately, if you reconcile with a cheating spouse, it will be seen as condoning their behavior, and you will be unable to bring these incidents up if you file for a divorce in the future.

One of the best ways to protect yourself in this situation is to put a postnuptial agreement in place. This can protect your rights regarding marital property, assets, and alimony payments while providing firm consequences for any future adulterous behavior.

Contact Our Pinellas County Divorce Attorney

Adultery is a serious legal matter. To protect your rights and discuss your options in terms of getting a divorce or remaining in the marriage, reach out to the Reep Law Firm. Call or contact our Seminole divorce attorney online and request a confidential consultation today.

Sources:

psychcentral.com/blog/how-common-is-cheating-infidelity-really#statistics

leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.052.html#:~:text=If%2C%20at%20any%20time%2C%20the,petition%20for%20dissolution%20of%20marriage