Cheating spouses, secret addictions and identities — marriages are buckling under COVID quarantine; RLG Partner and Family Law Director Kaine Fisher shares his view

By Marisa M. Kashino | Washingtonian

One Sunday afternoon in late April, a Washington mom I’ll call Marie is parked outside a CVS in Northern Virginia. Her family thinks she’s out running errands. Which is mostly true. But she’s also here because ever since the coronavirus lockdown hit, her car has become an oasis—a private island for one where Marie can Zoom with her therapist, vent to friends, and, on this particular day, talk to me about a situation that was festering before Covid-19 and has become nearly intolerable now. Basically, all the reasons her husband is an asshole.

“I have no evidence of infidelity, although I have strong suspicions,” Marie says. “He’s a very tech-savvy type. And he just hides stuff, which makes me feel like there’s something going on.”

She thought about divorcing him over the years. Like after their first child came along—and he expected her to manage all the childcare responsibilities, never mind her full-time federal job. She also considered ending it after discovering his porn addiction. And when he suggested a threesome. But she stayed, muscling through for the sake of their young kids.

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“They should add a reminder to get a prescription for anti-depressants to the list of things we should be doing to “flatten the curve”.   Wear a mask.  Wash your hands.  Keep physical distance.  And good lord please take your meds.  Try spending 4 months cooped up with anyone and see how that goes.  There will be bumps in the road for sure.  It’s inevitable that those couples with chinks in their armor are not making it.  The court systems will surely be jammed for the foreseeable future.” ~ Kaine Fisher, Partner and Director of Family Law at Rose Law Group