A recently divorced German man has chosen the scorched earth approach after a recent divorce ruling. Many men and women have been ordered by a judge to divide up their assets 50/50, but this disgruntled former husband decided to take that rule a little too literally.
A viral video shows an anonymous German man using power tools to cut all of his possessions right down the middle. The video has already racked up two million views and counting in just three days.
Hoping to profit off his post-divorce stunt, the bitter ex even posted the items on eBay under the name “Der Juli.” Pictures and videos show the man destroying furniture, a flat-screen television, an iPhone, a teddy bear, and even a car.
According to a translation, the caption on the YouTube video reads, “Thank you for 12 ‘beautiful’ years Laura!!!!! You’ve really earned half.”
Other items listed on Der Juli’s eBay page include half a MacBook (with half a charger), halves of several DVDs, and the couple’s former marital bed — or at least part of it. He claims he sent the other half of the destroyed items to his ex-wife.
Sadly, the German man won’t be the last disgruntled ex to act out following a painful divorce, and experts say such bad behavior makes the process more difficult on everyone involved.
“I guess one lesson to learn is never give a man a chainsaw after a bitter divorce,” said Kenneth J. Phillips, Attorney at Law at the Ken Phillips Law office. “I encourage my clients to work out the details of the divorce together as much as they can; every decision they make saves them time and money, and may allow them to maintain some relationship after the marriage is over, which is especially important if there are children involved. I am trained in helping people get divorced through a process called collaborative divorce and am always open to talking about how that process works.”
In the U.S., the state of New Jersey just passed the Family Collaborative Law Act in May. New Jersey has the lowest divorce rate in the country, and Garden State politicians hope the legislation will facilitate a smoother divorce process. New Jersey is the ninth state to sign such a law so far.
The average U.S. divorce process lasts for an entire year, but a collaborative divorce proceeding can last as little as just 10 minutes. Currently, only 11% of family law cases involving child custody are settled through a collaborative mediation process.