Divorce Without Mercy Part 5 – March 2026

[Related link, SEE:  PART 4 – February 2026]

Perversion of Decency and the Law

In December and January, Cassie¹ had been stalling on our agreed-upon divorce, but February introduced an attorney who was a friend of Cassie’s family and who apparently took the divorce as her personal mission. March took a relatively uncomplicated divorce and made it into an all-out attack on my character and the truth. It became a perversion of decency and the law. Multiple days in March were key to my situation.

2 MARCH – A Liferaft

After being stranded in North Carolina by Cassie’s attorney, I finally accepted my daughter’s offer to live with them temporarily in Denver. This, at least, stopped the hemorrhage of money for hotels and food.

3 – 6 MARCH – Filing for the Divorce

In an attempt to allow me to return home, I began calling people at the Washoe County Court system to learn what I could do. They couldn’t give me legal advice, but I did learn in one conversation that if I was not physically present in the house for 30 days, Cassie could claim I had abandoned the marital home. That seemed to be the most logical reason Cassie was suddenly suggesting that I move out. Her statements that her attorney told her I wouldn’t be giving up my claim on the house if I moved out were either a lie or a strategy her attorney gave her. It became apparent that if I didn’t file for a divorce immediately, her attorney could claim I abandoned the house.

The State of Nevada attempts to make filing for divorce accessible to people who can’t afford an attorney; however, the process is laden with strict rules and policies that a novice like myself would not know or understand. It took me two attempts to file.

A key issue in filing for divorce is that at least one spouse must have lived in Nevada for the previous six weeks. Even though I had lived in Nevada for 31 years, the fact that I had been out of the State for two weeks, then stranded in North Carolina by her attorney, meant I couldn’t meet the six-week requirement. There is a provision in Nevada Revised Statutes to waive the six-week requirement if the cause of the divorce occurred in the State. As the cause of the divorce was the ownership of the house, it may have met the requirements.

Regardless, I was finally able to file the forms. This finally ended Cassie’s roadblock to moving forward on the divorce and ended the 30-day clock of abandoning our home.

8 MARCH – Filing a Complaint with the Nevada Bar Association

On 8 March, I filed a complaint with the State Bar of Nevada regarding Cassie’s attorney telling me that “it is not feasible” for me to return to our marital home. It would be a month before I would receive a response.

17 MARCH – The Response of the Attorney

Telling me I couldn’t return home was her attorney’s shot across the bow. The filings were the beginning of her next barrage. I did not know to what depth her attorney would sink to; however, the first filing gave me a glimpse of where she was going to take this divorce. It seemed negotiating the division of the assets was not on her agenda. Instead, Cassie and her attorney began revising the narrative to match the story they wanted to create for the Court.

Excerpt 1

Paul left home for weeks to travel (possibly internationally) for most of 2026 (so far). Paul refuses to disclose where he currently resides…

Excerpt from her attorney’s 17 March 2026 filing

The first seven words of this statement are true. I left for a two-week scouting trip. After that, everything stated is either a twisting of the truth or an outright lie.

“…possibly internationally…” – Not true and not relevant. She was attempting to suggest to the Court that I was living lavishly and wasting money traveling the world, rather than traveling in the southeast United States looking at housing options/costs and following a job opportunity.

“…for most of 2026 (so far)…” – She ignored that I lived at our marital home for the first five weeks of 2026. The “…so far…” was a slam that I was continuing to travel the world. What she doesn’t disclose to the Court is that she was the one preventing me from returning home.

“…Paul refuses to disclose where he currently resides…”

1. I was under no obligation to inform Cassie or her attorney of my itinerary; however, it’s irrelevant because they never asked. Her attorney asked me to inform her of when I would be returning to Reno. I basically told her it was none of her business. That is not refusing to disclose where I reside.
2. Before I left, I gave Cassie a rough itinerary of where I was going. [SEE: Part 4]
3. Once I was told I couldn’t return home by her attorney, my address was still the marital home. I had no mailing address for several weeks. I finally began using my daughter’s address, but I was temporarily living there in a guest room. By every definition of the term, I was “homeless.”

Excerpt 2

Paul has ample funds in bank accounts (which he has presumably, wastefully spent throughout 2026 – without disclosing anything to Cassie about the costs of his long-term, leisure travel).

Excerpt from her attorney’s 17 March 2026 filing

“…ample funds in bank accounts…” – I had my Social Security savings, which I had intended to use for the cost of the divorce and some living expenses, assuming we would settle the divorce within six weeks or so. I did not have ample funds to establish a new residence without access to our joint funds.

“…which he has presumably, wastefully spent throughout 2026…” – Again, her attorney is trying to create an image for the Court that I was living lavishly and traveling the world, spending money, rather than staying in cheap hotels, eating one meal a day, and trying to stop the hemorrhage of money caused by the attorney locking me out of my home.

“…without disclosing anything to Cassie about the costs of his long-term, leisure travel…” – I did tell Cassie about the cost of my December European trip, and she expressed that I did a great job in keeping the expenses low; however, again, I was under no obligation to give a cost breakdown of my expenses to Cassie or her attorney before filing for a divorce. Cassie and her attorney were aware that my travel in 2026 was not leisure, and was “long-term” because they told me I could not return home. Her attorney was using inflammatory statements to create a false narrative for the Court.

Over My Head

After reading her attorney’s 17 March response to the divorce complaint, I determined I needed legal representation. Her attorney seemed to be committed to a dirty, personal attack on me, rather than negotiating a division of assets. I needed someone who could sort out the mudslinging from the legal issues.

After a consultation, I selected an attorney and retained her services. It cost me $7,500, which came out of my Social Security savings, not our joint account. After hiring my attorney, I felt some relief in not having to deal with Cassie or her attorney directly regarding the divorce, and hoped that everything could move forward.

Unfortunately, Cassie’s attorney planned to take the attack on me to a new low in April.

¹Some names have been changed.

 

NEXT: Divorce Without Mercy Part 6 – April 2026

[NOTE:  This is a series focusing on my experiences during a divorce with a difficult person and her attorney. I am not a licensed psychologist nor an attorney. If you are dealing with a divorce situation, you should consult an attorney for legal advice and seriously consider seeking mental health support from a licensed counselor to deal with the trauma.]