Schwarzenegger divorce shows it isn’t always a quick process

On July 1, 2011, Maria Shriver filed for a divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger after finding out that he had an affair and fathered a child with the housekeeper. It might shock some people to learn that now, seven years later, the divorce still isn’t finalized.

The reason for the delay isn’t immediately clear. It likely isn’t child custody since the couple agreed on joint custody when they split and the youngest child is now 20 years old. One theory is that the couple just isn’t really in a hurry to get the divorce finalized.

They do have to handle property division matters. All told, there is around $400 million that will have to be split between them. This might be the reason for the holdup, but that isn’t for certain.

If this case shows you anything, it is that divorce won’t always be a fast process. There are cases in which it might drag on for a while. This is sometimes due to the inability to agree on matters like custody or property division. When these negotiations stall out, you might have to turn to the court to make decisions. You would have to wait for a spot on the court docket.

At a minimum, you should expect that your divorce will take at least six months between the date you file and the date it can be finalized. This is the minimum waiting period to legally end a marriage in California. If you are going to file, be sure that you know what to expect so that you can handle matters as they come up.