Legal Question in Family Law in Texas

My husband divorced me six years ago. We were married for 14 years. I never saw any paperwork, never signed anything, have no idea what the divorce decree says. I was very trusting of him and he told me that he would take care of everything. This is what happens when you meet your future husband when you are 14 years old and get married at 18. I totally trusted whatever he said was truth.

I'm now finding out that he signed my name on all the papers and also made some deal where I am responsible for all of our debt. He made four times the amount of income I did.

Question 1: I realize it would be too late to do anything about this now, and we did not have any children. But I am still interested to know this: Would I have had some kind of right to spousal support? I was practically on the streets after our divorce. And I'm not joking. I lived in cheap motels for two years because I had nothing. He got everything. He made a lot of money.

QUESTION 2: He made a lot of money, but he also spent a lot of money. My parents always ended up bailing us out of financial jams. My parents loaned us close to $80,000 throughout the years, and they even signed over their property and three houses to us. Luckily, I got him to agree to sign that back over to my parents before the divorce. But now that I am in a little better financial position than I was when my husband and I first divorced, I pay my parents $300 a month. Could my parents sue him for half of that money they loaned us?

Question 3: Did he have the legal right to sign my name on the divorce papers?

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded questions, but I am really concerned about this. I am going to the county clerk soon to get a copy of the divorce decree to see what it actually says. Thank you.


Asked on 10/16/12, 4:56 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
TC Langford Langford Law Office

Unfortunately, you can't undo some terrible mistakes. It might be possible to undo this mess, if there is evidence that you were defrauded. Without reviewing the decree itself, it is impossible to answer your very reasonable questions. Property settlements are usually final within 30 days of the entry of the order. Of course he had no right to sign your name, but your comments regarding 'trusting him' raises the question if you signed a waiver, or were served and he took a default. The final answers depends upon what the file says. If your parents have evidence of a loan, and the statute of limitations has not passed, then they can sue to collect their money. Whether that lawsuit is successful is unknown.

Read more
Answered on 10/18/12, 5:22 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Family Law, Divorce, Child Custody and Adoption questions and answers in Texas