Personal Journal

Fucking Tom

My first fear is now something I'm going to have to manage.

Jean's ex-husband managed to drag his feet for three years on their divorce. In the Fall, they agreed on a settlement to Jean for her share of the New Jersey house and equity, and she got paid and signed (what I believe was) the final divorce agreement.

Tom, her ex, hasn't done that. Nevertheless, the check is cashed and in an account that only Jean and my name is on.

Minnie, in her grief (Jean's mom) called Tom to tell him that Jean was dead the night she died. I can remember with absolute clarity the night we all agreed that Tom wasn't going to get to know anything until I deemed it appropriate.

Jean didn't trust Tom not to try to take anything and everything - cats, furniture, the settlment money. So I have no reason to think any differently.

He knows that money is out there, and there is a saying:
You never know someone until you are dividing an estate with them.

I don't expect he'll come after that settlment money, but I'm preparing for him to. I wrote myself a check for a lot today from that account to one only I own. So the money will be in Colorado, not NJ. That's the first step. The next step is to get the money out of the savings account.

If Tom is trying to get that money, the cards are stacked against him. But he does have the advantage of stating that the contract over the divorce is now null since one party has died. So he might have a right to ask for that back. I'm going to make sure it's difficult and painful to try to do that.

I would rather lawyers get every penny than have Tom get a nickel. If only Jean had listened to me and put that money in Colorado, not NJ. I even got mad about it, but that only made her defensive thinking I was after money. I just wanted safety for that.

I have several backup plans. I'm going to start having Jean's bills forwarded to Tom if he struggles on this. If he wants to claim the estate, let him start to get a grip on how much money Jean owes, and let him deal with the phone calls from hospital creditors and such.

And I believe legally, since Jean had signed the last offer and returned it to his side, and then Tom dragged his feet yet again, that the law will not reward him for stonewalling. In other words, he submitted the contract to Jean and she agreed to it, then he stalled, so that doesn't make the contract void. It makes him a greesy fucking bastard.

Yet another man that if I knew I could get away with it, I would kill him and have no moral qualms.

My short term financial viability relies on this settlment money. My long term viability isn't in danger, I don't think, because her private insurance should cover us nicely.

Why she married that weasel I will never understand.

I hope he dies of anal bleeding.

People who believe in karma are sometimes contemptable to me. How can you do what this man does and not get an immediate godsmack?