When you declare your intention to divorce your spouse, it can be difficult for you to estimate how he or she might react. There are many different ways that spouses respond to this news, and some will begin to behave in a manner that will complicate the proceedings. Specifically, you might encounter a spouse who will start to sell the family's possessions — and even your own possessions — in order to raise money and punish you. It's important in this situation to have your attorney appeal to a local family court to get a temporary order that requires your spouse to abstain from selling anything. Here are some signs that you should move forward with this order.

Your Spouse Has Started To Sell Things

It's possible that your spouse will waste no time and start to sell your possessions right away. While he or she may have a claim to 50 percent of many of these items, it's not up to him or her to sell them at this point. Perhaps you've seen your spouse begin to list items for sale on an online marketplace, or maybe he or she is calling friends and neighbors and asking them to drop over and assess some items. If these issues are present, a temporary order against selling your family's items will be necessary.

Your Spouse Is Researching Prices

Some spouses aren't as overt when it comes to selling things that belong to the family. A spouse may attempt to covertly begin to sell things with the hope that you don't get wise to his or her behavior. If you're attentive, you may notice some signs that your spouse is up to something. For example, he or she may be browsing the internet to determine the value of certain items, or perhaps even calling pawn shops or consignment shops to find out what certain things are worth. You'll want to react quickly with a temporary order in this situation, too.

Things Have Started To Disappear

You may also encounter a situation in which certain items — especially those that hold considerable value — are starting to disappear from your house. If you've moved out during the divorce, you may sometimes return to the family home and see that certain items are missing. If you're aware of the absence of certain possessions, you may be tempted to confront your spouse. This can lead to an argument, which won't help the situation. You're better off explaining what is happening to your divorce attorney, who can then get working on the paperwork for a temporary order.

Contact a legal firm, like Law Offices Of Helen Allen, for more help.