Wisconsin Divorce Laws: What Role Does Verbal Abuse Play in the process. Recently, I helped a client reach a resolution in her divorce. As we were leaving the courtroom she met a friend who was there for moral support. The two had a very emotional exchange at which time I heard for the first time detailed conversations about the verbal abuse she took from her husband as well as the verbal abuse that her son took from her husband. The child was not a child of the marriage but had lived with his step-father and mother for many years.
I could not believe what I heard this man said to his wife and step-son. Placement was not an issue since they did not have marital children. As a result, the issue of abuse did not come up. I quickly realized that, although it was not an issue directly related to the case, it was an extremely important and emotional issue that my client and her child had been living and dealing with for many years.
What I heard was nothing short of bullying. We have all heard news stories and read articles about the negative impact bullying can have on people. For whatever reason, people, mostly adult men, feel that they can “bully” their wives and their children. Bullying is nothing more than another version of verbal abuse.
In this case, if custody and placement of the child was an issue, this man’s verbal abuse should have been treated no different than physical abuse. This would have substantially limited how much contact, if any, he would have had with his child. Verbal abuse is nothing more than bullying and should not be tolerated. We need to be aware of these situations even when it is not an issue in a case because it is an issue in a person’s life.
If you are being verbally abused to the point that you cannot handle the abuse and there is no sign of change please contact me to discuss your options. The long-term impact that verbal abuse has on adults as well as children is significant and cannot be overlooked or marginalized. It is as serious as physical abuse and needs to stop and if it doesn’t, then you need to protect yourself and your children.
I have been representing families and dealing with divorce laws for nearly 30 years and offer, free, no cost, no obligation consultations. If you have a divorce or post divorce question such as custody, placement, child support or maintenance or any other issue related to divorce please contact me in the Madison area at (608) 824-9540, Baraboo area at (608) 356-3961 or Statewide at (866) 455-2993. Also, please check out our website at https://khtlawyers.com for additional information. At Krueger Hernandez & Thompson SC, children come first!
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