Divorce as with Cathy Hummels: Munich lawyer explains what costs arise and what to look out for

Created: 08/08/2022, 18:22

By: Andreas Thieme

A visit to the Oktoberfest, like here in 2017, was also part of it for Mats Hummels and Cathy.

Both were living in Munich at the time, he was playing for the FC Bayern Munich football club at the time.

© IMAGO/Sven Simon

Divorce hurts - and is often damn expensive.

As in the case of presenter Cathy Hummels and her husband, soccer star Mats Hummels.

A Munich specialist lawyer explains what costs are incurred in a divorce and what you have to watch out for.

Munich – A celebrity divorce is often in the millions.

Especially if there is joint real estate.

It's much cheaper for ordinary people: Here, a divorce costs "about a month's salary for higher earners: between two and five thousand euros," explains Dr.

Doris Kloster-Harz, specialist lawyer for family and inheritance law in Munich-Schwabing.

But: If you argue longer, it becomes significantly more expensive.

"My tip: Try to come to an agreement in good time," says Kloster-Harz, who can look back on decades of experience as a lawyer.

Anyone who has a comprehensive marriage contract is clearly at an advantage.

"If the couple says we still agree with the agreed arrangements, then a divorce is relatively quick," says Kloster-Harz.

It will of course also be cheaper for those involved if they don't argue for months and hire lawyers for it.

With a valid marriage contract, it is sufficient for one of the two partners to apply for divorce through their lawyer.

The other agrees.

That way you only have to pay for a lawyer.

The court costs will be shared.”

If the other partner is very fair, he or she could also say: We also share the costs for this lawyer.

"Nevertheless, it remains the lawyer of the person who commissioned him," says Kloster-Harz.

With these regulations, one can keep the divorce inexpensive and basically know what to expect from the moment of marriage.

But that only applies in the event of an agreement!

When there are shared possessions like houses or valuables like art, it becomes much more difficult.

Then divorces can last for years - and sometimes swallow millions.

For example, when company networks between the spouses have to be dissolved.

But the emotional pain speaks for itself.

In "Bunte" Cathy Hummels said about her divorce: "I've learned to put my needs first - after my son.

I couldn't do that for a long time.

I wanted to do everything to have a happy marriage, I organized everyday family life, the holidays, everything.

And then at the age of 24 I had the worst depression of my life, with panic attacks.

I loved my husband very much and always wanted to take care of everything perfectly, but it just didn't go on like this.”

A fate shared by many women.

Doris Kloster-Harz advises you as a matter of principle: “The belief in a sufficient amount of maintenance over a longer period of time is a misconception.

Experience shows that there are often major problems with payments here.

I can only give women the urgent advice to remain professionally active and financially independent during the marriage.

This saves you years of trouble, gray hair and career abandonment – ​​all in all, maybe even a divorce because you remain more interesting for your partner.”

The expert knows: If there are three or four properties in the marriage, and even if they are only small apartments, you argue about the gain without a marriage contract.

“Then you need an appraisal of the initial value of the property that shows what it was worth when you got married.

And one for the value of what the property is worth at the time the divorce petition is served.” The difficulty here is often that three appraisers will present three different results.

“It's basically always a vabanque game.

Legal proceedings can become very expensive as a result, because the appraisal costs are based on the value of the property.

Without a marriage contract, the legal regulations for divorce apply, but these can be overridden by an agreement by the ex-couple.

However, these must be designed in a sensible and balanced manner.

It would be immoral, for example, if a millionaire urged his wife to give up child support, pension rights and gains because he threatened to take her three children away from her.

Kloster-Harz: "No judge will let that pass."