nustart2007
New Member
I have been married for 29 years to a functioning alcoholic who refuses to get help and only gets worse by the year. I saw it coming years ago and even though I'm in my late 40's, I went back to school to get a professional degree recently graduated, and will eventually be able support myself. Our three children are 25, 23, & 19. For a period of time he was quite successful and we have a modest home (worth about $400,000), a time share in Arizona and two equity country club memberships (he resigned from one already and the payout could take 5 years for $22,000). I lived out of state for 15 months to get my head straight and had hopes he would "get his act together" but that never happened so I moved back to Illinois and told him in April I wanted out. I filed the paperwork and he was served 3 wks ago. We have tried to work the settlement out through an arbitrator (who told us our situation was too complicated for her) and on our own but he is in denial and nothing has been resolved. He only retained an attorney two days ago. He is 100% shareholder of an S Corp that is in substantial debt ($20,000+ in credit card debt and a $50,000 line of credit) that he has basically let fall apart and may quite likely go belly-up. In addition he has over $40,000 in personal credit card debt in his name only that he continues to charge on, college loans for $40,000 for our children that he has either taken out or co-signed for and we owe $50,000 in tax liabilities due in October which are related to him drawing money from his business without paying estimated taxes (I filed extensions as seperate but have not decided whether the actual return will be joint or seperate). I do have an attorney but I have limited funds and he hasn't been very responsive to my questions. I just don't know what I can be held responsible for. He wants the country club membership (worth $84,000) and says he will accept the debt for the credit cards and college loans if I let him have it. My concern is if he can't pay the bills in few months and files bankruptcy can they go after me??? We have no savings, no pension; just a house, country club memberships and a boat-load of debt. To boot we still live together in the same house (which we hope to list asap and split the proceeds) and he now has a girl-friend who he is wining and dining and running up more debt. I told my attorney I won't ask for support as long as he pays the education expenses of our two youngest children. I have rented an apartment that I am to move into next month to be closer to my job. I'm trying to be fair but am desperate and don't know what to do!!!! Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.
