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Foreclosure after Divorce In Wisconsin

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josepha02

Junior Member
My ex-wife and I were ordered to sell our marital home per our Marital Settlement Agreement. She refused to do so, and also did not disclose to the courts that she had already defaulted on the payments PRIOR to our final divorce hearing. I did not find out about it until after the divorce was final. She remained in the home and I moved to a new house. Full disclosure, she had put a restraining order on me which prohibited me from even entering the property at all. She was adamant that she wanted to remain in the home and was trying to refinance the mortgage or restructure it. I reached out to the Mortgage Company and said that she had no contact with them whatsoever and refused to return any of their calls with respect to the defaulted payments. I requested that they send her the information again and they did let me know that she was in fact "pre approved" for a refinance and or restructure of the home loan (which would get it out of my name completely). Well, she refused to fill out the paperwork, and also refused to allow me to put the home up for sale. I told her that I wanted to come and put up a FOR SALE sign and she said if I stepped foot on the property that she would call the police. The house fell to foreclosure, and she remained there for 18 months until they literally told her she had to move out.

We now have a deficiency judgment for $9000.00. She is telling me that I have to pay half. I understand the terms of our divorce agreement, but in light of these circumstances I am not sure if it is worth bringing her back to court for contempt to see if they will order her to pay the deficiency instead since she refused to sell or let me sell the house.
 


Ohiogal

Queen Bee
My ex-wife and I were ordered to sell our marital home per our Marital Settlement Agreement. She refused to do so, and also did not disclose to the courts that she had already defaulted on the payments PRIOR to our final divorce hearing. I did not find out about it until after the divorce was final. She remained in the home and I moved to a new house. Full disclosure, she had put a restraining order on me which prohibited me from even entering the property at all. She was adamant that she wanted to remain in the home and was trying to refinance the mortgage or restructure it. I reached out to the Mortgage Company and said that she had no contact with them whatsoever and refused to return any of their calls with respect to the defaulted payments. I requested that they send her the information again and they did let me know that she was in fact "pre approved" for a refinance and or restructure of the home loan (which would get it out of my name completely). Well, she refused to fill out the paperwork, and also refused to allow me to put the home up for sale. I told her that I wanted to come and put up a FOR SALE sign and she said if I stepped foot on the property that she would call the police. The house fell to foreclosure, and she remained there for 18 months until they literally told her she had to move out.

We now have a deficiency judgment for $9000.00. She is telling me that I have to pay half. I understand the terms of our divorce agreement, but in light of these circumstances I am not sure if it is worth bringing her back to court for contempt to see if they will order her to pay the deficiency instead since she refused to sell or let me sell the house.
So why didn't you file for contempt when she refused to allow you to put the house up for sell 18 months ago?
 

josepha02

Junior Member
So why didn't you file for contempt when she refused to allow you to put the house up for sell 18 months ago?
Because I was unaware of the laws to be totally honest. My girlfriend (who is now my wife) is the one that let me know that she was in contempt. Further, we JUST received the notice of the deficiency judgment and it didn't seem worth it to take her to court JUST because she ruined my credit with the foreclosure. Its not like the courts could have fixed that portion of it anyway.
 

Silverplum

Senior Member
Because I was unaware of the laws to be totally honest. My girlfriend (who is now my wife) is the one that let me know that she was in contempt. Further, we JUST received the notice of the deficiency judgment and it didn't seem worth it to take her to court JUST because she ruined my credit with the foreclosure. Its not like the courts could have fixed that portion of it anyway.
Well, the money you saved by not hiring an attorney will now be spent cleaning up the mess.
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
Because I was unaware of the laws to be totally honest. My girlfriend (who is now my wife) is the one that let me know that she was in contempt. Further, we JUST received the notice of the deficiency judgment and it didn't seem worth it to take her to court JUST because she ruined my credit with the foreclosure. Its not like the courts could have fixed that portion of it anyway.
She was in contempt for NOT allowing you to put the house up for sale. YOU participating in causing this mess. YOU did nothing. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Or even a reason.
 

josepha02

Junior Member
She was in contempt for NOT allowing you to put the house up for sale. YOU participating in causing this mess. YOU did nothing. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Or even a reason.
I DID have an attorney for the divorce. He was utterly useless. I am not looking for a reprimand, I am looking for someone to explain the legal process of all of this before I attempt to retain another attorney and bring her back to court. It was never explained to me by my attorney what I would be up against by her doing this. I attempted to do something, she wouldn't allow it. I lived in a very rural area with a very conservative court system (old fashioned, favors the woman 8 times out of 10). I wont bore you with all of the horrible details of what she did to me, but cleaning out our joint bank account the day she had me served with a temporary restraining order was one of the many things.
 

Silverplum

Senior Member
I DID have an attorney for the divorce. He was utterly useless. I am not looking for a reprimand, I am looking for someone to explain the legal process of all of this before I attempt to retain another attorney and bring her back to court. It was never explained to me by my attorney what I would be up against by her doing this. I attempted to do something, she wouldn't allow it. I lived in a very rural area with a very conservative court system (old fashioned, favors the woman 8 times out of 10). I wont bore you with all of the horrible details of what she did to me, but cleaning out our joint bank account the day she had me served with a temporary restraining order was one of the many things.
http://milwaukee.gov/MJC/GetHelpNow/Divorce/Contempt.htm
 

Bali Hai

Senior Member
I DID have an attorney for the divorce. He was utterly useless. I am not looking for a reprimand, I am looking for someone to explain the legal process of all of this before I attempt to retain another attorney and bring her back to court. It was never explained to me by my attorney what I would be up against by her doing this. I attempted to do something, she wouldn't allow it. I lived in a very rural area with a very conservative court system (old fashioned, favors the woman 8 times out of 10). I wont bore you with all of the horrible details of what she did to me, but cleaning out our joint bank account the day she had me served with a temporary restraining order was one of the many things.
Those are pretty decent odds where I come from.

Be aware that most of the people who advise you here are women.
 

Silverplum

Senior Member
Those are pretty decent odds where I come from.

Be aware that most of the people who advise you here are women.
How did my girly-self lead this poster in a wrong direction? Or are you warning OP to watch his silly (the word I chose to substitute for another, harsher word) fingers?
 

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