Forget the conservative Christian lawyer, what she needs is a ruthless bastard lawyer. She should file an assault case with the police. Oh and forget amicable. Are there any children involved?
PS we are obviously only getting one side of the story here.
If I’m not mistaken the rule here by law is after 7 years of marriage each is automatically entitled to half the assets no matter who brought it in. This is what I recall was told to us when we got married.
But I’m sure we have some lawyers on this forum.
They have 2 sons
I don't think she made a report to the police the assult happened 2 years ago
Would she not be better off by throwing him out and NOT divorcing him? Just stop supporting him. Sounds like the divorce gives him rights... without divorce the person holding the purse strings has the power. Move house, sell the old one with a sitting tenant, don't give hubby new address, change any access to the bank account... forget amicable. I have no problem with house husbands, but abusive house husbands, no way.
If the genders were reversed then if he had been the breadwinner while she stayed home and looked after the house and kids, she would almost automatically get 50%.
As others have said, we only have one side of the story here, so I don't want to draw any conclusions about anyone involved. Just two comments, for general applicability.
1. Conservative Christian doesn't mean putting up with abuse or injustice, or imprudently leaving yourself or your children open to harm. There's a million examples in the Bible. She doesn't have to get a divorce just because he had an affair - that's a personal decision for each couple to figure out. Some couples do stay together and work things out.
But if he's abusive and exploitative (this applies to pyschological abuse as well as physical), she's also under no obligation to stay in that situation. If she believes marriage is for life to the same person, then she can just stay away from forming another marriage-type relationship with another person. Rules don't say you have to stay in the same household living together with the guy as a couple.
2. Also doesn't rule out getting smart lawyer who's used to dealing with shit and manipulation. Think Paul of Tarsus. OK, not a lawyer per se but not a pushover by any means. As long as she's ethical in her dealings with husband and kids, she should be ok.