{"id":3447,"date":"2014-03-10T14:25:01","date_gmt":"2014-03-10T20:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bgs.com\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2014-03-10T14:25:01","modified_gmt":"2014-03-10T20:25:01","slug":"will-the-courts-punish-my-spouse-for-cheating-on-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/10\/will-the-courts-punish-my-spouse-for-cheating-on-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the Courts Punish My Spouse for Cheating On Me?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s natural to be angry when your spouse cheats on you. But the courts are not going to reach out to \u201cpunish\u201d your spouse for it, even if the adulterous behavior is one of the reasons why the marriage fell apart.
\nMinnesota is a \u201cno fault\u201d state<\/a>. That means that the courts essentially do not care why the marriage is ending. It is assumed to be nobody\u2019s fault and everyone\u2019s fault\u2014a sort of \u201cit takes two to tango\u201d philosophy.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Family<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Cheating may only affect the divorce if the spouse spent a great deal of your marital assets pursuing the relationship. You would have to prove this.
\nFor the most part, however, the major issues of the divorce will be decided in exactly the same manner that they would have been decided had the spouse been faithful.
\nThe courts treat a marriage primarily as a business partnership. Your marriage is almost like a company that grows and generates assets. This is a special partnership because children are often involved, but from the court\u2019s perspective you are still dissolving a contract.
\nThe court\u2019s main concern is to get that contract dissolved with as little damage to both parties as possible and as little damage to the children as possible. That means it\u2019s simply going to follow the guidelines for equitable distribution of property as closely as possible.
\nTrying to drag your spouse\u2019s cheating behavior into the court only wastes time. Ultimately it may even weaken your own position, as you will be seen as a person who is \u201cout for revenge\u201d instead of as a reasonable adult who is trying to manage a difficult situation. While you should document all expenditures that you know about you should not get overly fixated on the behavior that ended the marriage.
\nAt this point, the marriage is over, and you need to focus on securing your future instead<\/strong>. That means putting your best foot forward in the courtroom and working with an experienced family law attorney<\/a> to resolve the major issues of the divorce in a manner that supports your desire to build a new life after the court case is complete.
\nIf you are pursuing a divorce, call BGS<\/a>. We have over 75 years of experience working with Minnesota family courts, and we\u2019re ready to help guide you to the best possible outcome for your divorce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s natural to be angry when your spouse cheats on you. But the courts are not going to reach out to \u201cpunish\u201d your spouse for it, even if the adulterous behavior is one of the reasons why the marriage fell apart. Minnesota is a \u201cno fault\u201d state. That means that the courts essentially do not care why the marriage is ending. It is assumed to be nobody\u2019s fault and everyone\u2019s fault\u2014a sort of \u201cit takes two to tango\u201d philosophy. Cheating may only affect the divorce if the spouse spent a great deal of your marital assets pursuing the relationship. You would have to prove this. For the most part, however, the major issues of the divorce will be decided in exactly the same manner that they would have been decided had the spouse been faithful. The courts treat a marriage primarily as a business partnership. Your marriage is almost like a company that grows and generates assets. This is a special partnership because children are often involved, but from the court\u2019s perspective you are still dissolving a contract. The court\u2019s main concern is to get that contract dissolved with as little damage to both parties as possible and as little damage to the children as possible. That means it\u2019s simply going to follow…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"yoast_head":"\nWill the Courts Punish My Spouse for Cheating On Me? - Barna, Guzy & Steffen, LTD.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/10\/will-the-courts-punish-my-spouse-for-cheating-on-me\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will the Courts Punish My Spouse for Cheating On Me? - Barna, Guzy & Steffen, LTD.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s natural to be angry when your spouse cheats on you. But the courts are not going to reach out to \u201cpunish\u201d your spouse for it, even if the adulterous behavior is one of the reasons why the marriage fell apart. Minnesota is a \u201cno fault\u201d state. That means that the courts essentially do not care why the marriage is ending. It is assumed to be nobody\u2019s fault and everyone\u2019s fault\u2014a sort of \u201cit takes two to tango\u201d philosophy. Cheating may only affect the divorce if the spouse spent a great deal of your marital assets pursuing the relationship. You would have to prove this. For the most part, however, the major issues of the divorce will be decided in exactly the same manner that they would have been decided had the spouse been faithful. The courts treat a marriage primarily as a business partnership. Your marriage is almost like a company that grows and generates assets. This is a special partnership because children are often involved, but from the court\u2019s perspective you are still dissolving a contract. The court\u2019s main concern is to get that contract dissolved with as little damage to both parties as possible and as little damage to the children as possible. That means it\u2019s simply going to follow...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/10\/will-the-courts-punish-my-spouse-for-cheating-on-me\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Barna, Guzy & Steffen, LTD.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-03-10T20:25:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bgs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Family-Law1-150x38.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth A. 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