Looks like my wife is dragging me back to court for a hearing for higher child support, spousal support, and maybe contempt unless I sign her settlement.

We were married 14 years. I drank on weekends, had a little outburst, and she grabbed the kids and left. I filed for divorce so she could not leave the state. She filed for temp orders and asked for child support and spousal right. Then I conveniently lost my job right before the hearing. Since I had just been laid off, the court did not give her spousal and set child support based on my unemployment. Worked great for me.

It took a year to deal with substance abuse treatment and evaluations. Then I went back to court this summer to increase my parenting time and got a few overnights. She tried to complain about my underemployment and that I had not paid child support and owed nine thousand, but the court brushed it off because the hearing was only about parenting time. Again it worked out great for me.

I basically spent the last year unemployed, living off benefits, then took a low paying delivery job even though I have a masters. Instead of getting a real job, I just withdrew money from our joint savings. After she got ignored in court, she went to the state to enforce support. Since I did not want my license revoked for arrears, I paid child support using our joint savings. Theres a restraining order on using marital funds, support counts as a personal debt, but once I pay the state she has to accept it anyway. Honestly it felt like a pretty clever workaround but I’ve almost emptied the accounts now.

Shes pissed and threatening contempt for using marital funds on a personal debt, freezing our remaining assets, raising support, and getting spousal. I just got a real job in my field. She only works part time from home since our first was born. She tried to go full time after leaving but the daycare said our youngest could not handle it, and since I was not paying support or daycare costs she said she could not afford full time work.

I dont want to sign her settlement offer. She said she will keep child support the same as what it was based on unemployment benefits and waive spousal, but she wants to block me from taking the kids overseas to my home country. Theyre dual citizens, and she thinks I would just stay there with them. Thats honestly the only reason I’ve dragged this divorce out but I don’t want higher support payments..

So what do you think. Am I toast in court this time or will the judge ignore everything again and I get off like the other two times?