Divorce papers that are not properly filled out in Louisiana can result in serious legal problems

A Louisiana man was charged for filing fraudulent divorce documents in the Caddo Parish courts.

Forged signature on divorce filing leads to investigation

The Caddo Parish Sheriff commented that that man’s 50 year old girlfriend helped fill out the fake documents by signing his current wife’s name on them. The suspect was a 27 year old male from Shreveport.

The misconduct was discovered when the man’s wife found the documents which finalized a divorce proceeding that she was never notified about. At no time in the past had she talked with her husband about a divorce or asked to be formally separated. A press release quoted a local detective who said that the woman was initially confused about the situation and asked for help, prompting the investigation.

After police were able to determine what happened, the suspect was arrested on charges of filing false public documents. His older girlfriend was also charged with one count of forgery. Their bonds were set at $5,000 and $2,500 respectively. Neither appeared to have their own legal counsel at the time of the arraignment.

Ensuring that a lawyer is reviewing all family law transactions

When preparing for a divorce, it is always important to get legal advice and retain an attorney. As this news story shows, trying to navigate the court system and filings on your own can often have disastrous consequences, including an arrest for forged or false documents in some situations.

Help from a lawyer can make divorces easy

There are a number of options that are available to divorcing couples that have made the process of moving on with their lives much easier in recent years. A no fault divorce can be granted for any reason at all after a short waiting period, as long as the couple wants to separate and meets residency requirements in the state where they will file.

Other processes such as negotiations with mediators and other professionals can take added costs away from the divorce filings. This is because most of the terms can be negotiated into a binding agreement that is presented to the court and the issues will not have to be formally litigated in front of a family law judge. This is especially efficient for couples who have had short marriages, no children, or little property to distribute. Obviously, things like child custody hearings for multiple children or dividing a large estate and significant assets will complicate a divorce.

Speak with a family lawyer when a divorce is imminent

There are Baton Rouge attorneys available who assist clients with the process of getting through a divorce without additional problems. To learn more about how a family lawyer can help with this procedure, contact:

Miller, Hampton, and Hilgendorf

3960 Government St., Baton Rouge, LA 70806

225-343-2205