Crestview, FL Divorce Law Firms & Lawyers

You should consult with and engage an attorney as soon as possible, to freeze assets that he is, or may be liquidating or impairing. Generally, any assets or liabilities obtained during the marriage are presumed to be marital assets or marital liabilities that are subject to equitable distribution by the court. This would include his savings plan, and likely his bonus. The best way to learn about your rights is to sit down with a family law attorney and discuss all of the facts of the case and your particular situation. It would be worth the price of the consultation fee.

You are on the right track.  You can get ongoing advice from a lawyer at most court houses, there is a self help legal office where you can pay a lawyer to assist you in what to do next and the cost is very low.  You cannot really do anything else until your wife returns the signed forms, then you should file those with the court.  If she signs the waiver, and completes a financial affidavit, you can set a final hearing with the judges office. However if she does not sign the waiver,  and return the affidavit signed and notarized, you  will not be able to set a final hearing. As for the wife's name change, most judges require the person requesting a name change to appear in court and answer some questions about the name change.  You may have difficulty getting the wife's name changed if she does not appear.

Here abandoning you is legally irrelevant. Her suspected abandonment of her personal property needs to be clarified. Get her views on that in writing (e.g., E-mail).