Legal Question in Family Law in Washington
Hello, I live in Spokane Washington and I am 22 years old. I have a two year old daughter with my wife. We got married in March 2010. In July of 2011, after having months of very bad heated arguments in front of our child, to the point that she had even broken a kitchen plate over my head (I have the scar but never reported it) I moved out of our shared residence and moved in to my own place. She now lives with her grandmother. I am a college student and take care of my child nearly 50% of the time. We have no official paperwork in place and have not filed for a divorce. In mid-October I began seeing a girl from one of my college classes. We began dating. My wife and I had been able to maintain our friendship for our child's sake. Now that I have started seeing someone else I have tried to work with my wife on filing a divorce. My wife has almost daily thrown emotional fits towards me and my new girlfriend. She comes over to my house uninvited constantly. She threatens to take away my rights as a father. She threatens to file for adulatory. She even threatens to hurt herself and say that I did it if I do not stop seeing this new woman. My daughter is my life. I participate in her day to day activities much more than any father I know. I am scared to lose her. What should I do about this? Is there any accuracy to her claims? Could I really get in trouble for adultery because we are still legally married although we have not been living together for months?
1 Answer from Attorneys
There is no crime of adultery. It is not a basis for different outcomes in a dissolution (generally speaking).