In New York, a woman who had just lost her husband was confronted with the news that he had divorced her eight years earlier, without her knowing. Apparently, he had filed the divorce papers in secret in order to remove her from benefiting from his pension and life insurance. The couple, V.D. and D.D., had been married for over 30 years before he died from natural causes. He was 65 at the time of his death and worked as a janitor for the Columbia University.
After his death, V.D. was going through her husband's possessions and papers. She was extremely confused when he found a paper which said that her husband filed for divorce in 2002. According to the papers, she had "abandoned" him because of financial issues and moved to Canarsie in Brooklyn. The reason this confused her so much was because not only had she never signed any divorce papers, but they had lived happily together up until his death.
With the help of a lawyer, V.D. was able to prove that the divorce papers were forged. With his help, she was able to receive both the life insurance and the pension benefits. Her actions were contested by her deceased husband's children from a previous marriage. If the divorce had been legitimate, they could have been able to receive the benefits of their father's estate.
It is cases like these which show the need for skilled and experienced legal representation. If you are currently facing a child custody, divorce, spousal support, or equitable distribution case, you need to ensure that you have a strong legal advocate on your side. Please, do not hesitate to contact our team at The Law Offices of Adelola Sheralynn Dow. We have years of experience in this area of law and will fight to protect your best interests.