- Married for eighteen years to a man, Gisèle (assumed name) lost everything the day he was the victim of a serious domestic accident.
- Heavily disabled, her husband has started his life over with another woman but refuses to present his income, which makes divorce impossible.
- Aged 52, his wife says she is "at the end" and waits for justice to pronounce the divorce, while 23 hearings have already taken place.
She hesitated a lot before writing to us. Before launching, Gisèle (borrowed name) thought long and hard. How was she going to be judged? Does she have the right to complain? And who could possibly help him? Aged 52, Gisèle is exhausted. Married for eighteen years to a man she loved more than anything, she saw her dream shattered one day in 2009 when her husband was the victim of a terrible domestic accident in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) which crippled him for life.
For three years, she claims to have "given everything" to take care of this quadriplegic man, who will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Gisèle also took care of their two children, while keeping her full-time job. In 2012, she and her husband finally admitted it to each other. They had to separate. “He told me that he had met someone in rehabilitation and that he wanted to start a new life. I was devastated. I no longer wanted to serve as a nurse or a carer ”. Nathalie then lost 18 kg and only sleeps a few hours a night.
“My husband lives very well. Me, I have nothing more »
Already painful, the story could have ended there if the divorce proceedings had not been interminable. Because eight years later, the separation of the couple has still not been recorded by justice. The reason ? The lack of proof of income that her husband refuses to provide. Without these documents justifying human resources, the notary cannot pronounce the liquidation of the community. The money from the sale of their home has been blocked for years. “My husband lives very well. I know this because I was the one who fought to get him compensation of 500,000 euros. He received the inheritance from his parents, he bought a house. I have nothing left ”.
"I have the impression that it makes justice blind"
Having become a tenant again, Gisèle works full time but struggles to make ends meet. To defend herself, she has already spent 20,000 euros to pay a lawyer in whom she believes less and less. “In this accident, I lost everything. My husband, my house, my situation. But that no one wants to hear. Nobody cares because he is disabled. I have the impression that it blinds justice. The fact that he is severely disabled should not give him a pass, but it seems to be. My scars cannot be seen but I can assure you that I am at the end of the line, ”testifies Gisèle. Over the past eight years, 23 hearings have taken place, but none have succeeded. Her husband was fined for failing to substantiate his income. But nothing has changed.
One of her friends confirms. “Physically, she couldn't take it anymore. He took her for his nurse and she gave everything for him. When she learned that he had someone else, she lived it very badly, ”explains a former member of the couple. “She took care of everything and today she has nothing. Justice must look at this file differently and pronounce the divorce quickly ”, continues her friend. This is also what Gisèle wants. “I haven't had a life for almost ten years. I have been patient for a long time but now I am discouraged ”.
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- Accident
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- Divorced
- Disabled
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