It’s only natural to assume that a spouse who betrays their marriage vows and the trust of their husband or wife by having an affair would suffer some sort of consequence in divorce. For better or worse, the impact of an affair will reality, infidelity rarely has much an effect on the outcome of a divorce. Barring truly exceptional circumstances, cheating will not alter either party’s rights in division of marital property. Infidelity will also probably not have much relevance in custody and parenting time disputes unless the children were directly exposed to or harmed by the infidelity.
Because Michigan is a no-fault divorce state, spending large amounts of time and resources assessing blame for the breakdown of the marriage is rarely in your best interest. If you’ve been cheated on, you are right to be angry. You cannot be blamed for feeling the inherent grief that comes with broken trust. However, more often than not, you will be better off if you prioritize coming to a fair settlement ahead of pursuing emotional vindication.
Hiring an attorney who knows what legal battles are worth fighting and who is knowledgeable about the effect of infidelity will save you time, money and heartache.
