Question: I live in Sandy Springs and I need to get a divorce. My wife thinks I'm having an affair with a stripper and she's accused me of getting ready to move out of our house and into an apartment in Buckhead with the stripper. But I'm not having an affair; she only thinks that because I admitted that I sometimes go to strip clubs with my company softball team after we play a game. Now I need a Sandy Springs divorce attorney.
I think her depression is making her think I'm engaged in an affair. She sees a psychiatrist in Atlanta, on Peachtree Street, and she takes medications for anxiety and depression, just like her sister. So her thinking isn't right.
Because of her abuse, she's hard to live with, and I do want to get divorced because I can't take her craziness. We own a house here in Sandy Springs and we have a rental property in Destin, Florida, which we bought about 10 years ago when we were both working. I'm an electrical engineer and she's a nurse. But she stopped working as a nurse when we had our third child, who has special needs and goes to private school.
I don't know where you file for divorce in Sandy Springs, but I'd like to do it soon because my wife's behavior is getting me scared. She sleeps with a knife under her pillow and I'm concerned that she'll do something stupid with it. She has told me that she wouldn't mind stabbing me if I go to another strip club; she hates strippers.
I need a local divorce lawyer and I need to discuss issues like child support, alimony, and how to split up our assets. My friend got divorced and he didn't hire an attorney and he got crushed by his wife, who hired a lawyer.
Please tell me where to file the divorce, and if I have to pay child support and alimony. And I want to know what happens to my retirement accounts.
G.B. in Sandy Springs, Georgia
Answer: If you were to file for divorce, since you live in Fulton County, Georgia, you would file in the Superior Court of Fulton County. Divorce actions are brought in a superior court. And the court would be the superior court of the county where the defendant lives. While there is a Sandy Springs Municipal Court, that court does not have jurisdiction over divorce or family law matters.
As part of the divorce, we would handle all the related issues like child support, alimony, and the division of property. Child support in Georgia is based upon the child support guidelines and can be tricky, but we do a lot of child support work.
Alimony is based on a number of factors, including the duration of the marriage and the parties' economic positions.
Retirement accounts, including pensions and 401 (k)'s, are oftentimes divided using a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (a QDRO), which can be complicated legal documents. We have written many QDROs for clients.