How a DUI Can Affect Divorce Proceedings

How a DUI Can Affect Divorce Proceedings

If you are in the process of going through a divorce, you have enough on your plate without also having to worry about criminal charges. A crime like driving under the influence (DUI) can have a significant effect on divorce proceedings that you’ll also have to consider, whether it was you or your spouse who was charged with the offense.

The following are some of the ways a DUI charge could impact the case:

  • Financial stress: Divorces are already expensive — you have to pay for attorney’s fees, possible child support and alimony, and could lose a significant amount of your marital assets.  If you also have to deal with defending a DUI case at the same time, that’s going to put even more of a financial strain on you at a time when you don’t exactly have a whole lot of breathing room financially.
  • Child custody: If you are charged with a DUI during your divorce, this will reflect poorly on you with regard to your fitness for parenthood. Courts will not look kindly on parents who get into trouble with the law, especially with a crime as reckless as drinking and driving. Therefore, a DUI will make it more likely you will lose custody of your children, or at least have your custody significantly limited.
  • Emotional stress: Defending a DUI during your divorce will not only make your divorce more complex, but it will be one extra thing causing you to lose sleep during the process. Even if you’ve reached agreements about certain elements of your divorce and the entire process has gone smoothly, all of that can change if you are charged with a DUI, and you might have to back to the drawing board. What’s more, your spouse might not be as willing to negotiate with you if you’ve been arrested for driving under the influence.

If you have been arrested for DUI and are wondering how it could affect your divorce, contact a trusted Long Island lawyer with Bryan L. Salamone & Associates today.

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