Divorce is never instantaneous. Even if you and your spouse have agreed on every detail before filing, Colorado law imposes a 91-day waiting period before the judge can finalize your divorce. No matter what, it will be at least three months before your marriage is officially dissolved.
Of course, few divorce cases wrap up even that quickly, especially when there are many valuable assets to divide. Still, few divorces last as long as the one between actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver, which the court just finalized more than ten years after Shriver filed.
Given the much-publicized events that led to their separation, one might think that emotions kept Shriver and Schwarzenegger from settling their legal differences for so long. But according to FOX News, the two have maintained a cordial relationship over the past decade. They regularly spend holidays together, and Shriver was a guest at Schwarzenegger’s birthday party in 2020.
The challenge of dividing high-value assets in divorce
Instead, it appears the issue was negotiating a property division settlement. In this case, the couple accrued considerable marital assets during their marriage, and it does not seem that the couple ever signed a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement that would have outlined how they would divide their property in the event of divorce. For those with complex assets, a prenup can save considerable time and grief if their marriage ever must come to an end.
On the other hand, not having a valid prenuptial agreement does not guarantee that your divorce will drag on for years of bitter, expensive negotiations. There are a variety of conflict-resolution methods that apply well to divorce that can help you and your former spouse through the process with as little rancor and delay as possible.