seperation questions

[hawkey]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Florida
I have been married just short of 5 years and my husband walked out and cleared his stuff, closed bank accounts etc whilst I was out of town.
He has not contacted me since.
Anyone else recently in this situation who can offer advice? We have no kids. I do not work, he does. I believe that i cannot change locks? I expect him to file for divorce. Can I contest? I have lots of questions about finances!

 

[mistoffolees]

You cannot change the locks (technically, you can, but then he has the right to break in if necessary).

You can challenge a divorce, but you can't stop it - at best, you can delay it temporarily.

I would suggest that you talk with an attorney. If there are sufficient marital assets, it is sometimes possible for the attorney to be paid from marital assets or for your husband to be forced to pay an attorney. Even in a short term marriage, you can probably get an order for temporary support while the divorce is pending to help you survive.

Meanwhile, you're obviously going to need to start looking for a job as quickly as possible. Also, gather up all the documentation you can because you're going to need to know how much was in all the accounts before he closed them. Also, keep track of where all of the accounts were - even if you're going from memory.

Good luck.