So, custody is going to be 50/50, I won't go on that rant, but the next step was to swap financial affidavits. I provided them in July, but never received from her end. Today I receive a new request, and her side said they will also do so. Not an hour later, I get a settlement offer. There's no money suggested or implied, basically, since the GAL has pretty much set forth their decision, let's end it now. Final court date/trial, is/was to be in January. Basically, we share parental duties and move on otherwise.

I'd been the primary parent while she twice left to work out of state. She moved back in the Spring, after I filed (she asked 3 times before and I finally relented). Lost my job due to outsourcing, and can't find anything (been over a year).

My attorney said I'm due maintenance, and the court can't deny it. I know it's rare the male gets maintenance, but I spoke with a friend who's an attorney and said I needed to look at myself as the housewife in this scenario. At first, that was very odd to accept, but he said I'd been the one taking care of the kids, one is no longer a minor and one still is, as well as taking care of the house. A house she intentionally let fall into foreclosure, the one which her children resided in.

She's suddenly flush with cash (family loan/gift), where I'm rubbing nickels together as I've never been out of work like this ever. She went from not being able to afford anything, to renting a house for 1800 a month, buying our son a 2017 car, taking the kids on vacation, and for someone whose house is getting foreclosed on this month, she suddenly is looking to buy a house too.

QUESTION: Do I assume that her first attempt to settle is basically so she doesn't have to provide her financials, as she clearly knows what mine is. There is nothing I saw (only did a quick overview of it as I've been catching up on other work) that suggests any remuneration. Do I take this as a negotiation and counter with a financial request? I don't know if this attorney was making unrealistic promises, but I've asked him numerous times and he's always said that the court can't deny maintenance. I don't want it in perpetuity, but just to get back on my feet.

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There's more to the story, nothing illegal or violent, but she clearly didn't want to be a parent while out of state and I should have jumped on an earlier offer of co-parenting, but like an idiot, I didn't follow up and file immediately.

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Sorry if I'm all over the place or rambling, but it's been a shitty last 17 months with everything going on.

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