Legal assistance with divorce and alimony

Questioner

I have been away from my husband since August 2016, a marriage of 31 years. The divorce has not yet been initiated because my husband needed time to get some things in order. I myself have no income and to this day have not received a euro from him for my living expenses, I get by with the help of a friend and here and there doing some housework for others. Now the following: my husband has now had me debited from the health insurance policy while I do not have the income to pay it and I have found out that my levy discount is still on his account. I am going to have this changed, it also appears that he filed a joint tax return last April. And that he is now planning to lease a car. I do not have good contact with my husband, so I am dependent on whether I receive my mail and such. My question is: can he just do all this and is he obliged to help me financially? And the second question: if he were to lease a car now that I have already left, can I be held responsible for it? He won't even let me have a slice of sausage on my bread and he does everything himself

Lawyer

if you are married in community of property you are indeed jointly responsible for the debts, even though you are in fact separated. There is a maintenance obligation during and after the marriage, but in fact it is only in the context of a divorce that the maintenance obligation is established in the form of spousal support. Have you considered filing for divorce yourself and having the maintenance determined?

Questioner

yes it's playing on my mind more and more because I can't go anywhere this way. I'm up against the wall but I don't have the financial means to initiate a divorce also because he doesn't want to divorce yet and I don't have an income myself so I don't know where I'm going to get the costs for a lawyer. he also doesn't want to assist me in any way, not even with food.

Lawyer

if you have no (or a low) income, you are probably eligible for subsidized legal aid. This means that the government pays the largest part of the lawyer's fees and you only make a (limited) personal contribution.