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It's a definite conflict of interest.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Nov 10, 2022
A woman became understandably upset after finding out that her sister’s husband decided to represent her estranged husband in their divorce proceedings.
The Redditor posted to the "r/AmItheA--hole" (AITA) subreddit to ask if she was wrong for lashing out at him during dinner one night.
She confronted her brother-in-law over siding with her ex.
She starts by telling readers that she asked her husband for a divorce two months ago.
Just one week after filing, she was shocked to find that her own brother-in-law was representing him in their court case.
She admitted that, although the news was upsetting, she shouldn’t be that surprised since her soon-to-be ex has helped her sister’s husband throughout this career.
Nevertheless, the betrayal hurt her deeply and she cut off all contact with her brother-in-law since.
That all changed when her parents invited everyone in the family over for dinner.
She missed her mother and father, so she agreed to attend.
She knew her sister would be in attendance and would be accompanied by the disloyal brother-in-law.
“I tried really hard to bite my tongue, but he kept referring to me as my ex’s wife and told me that if he was me, he would stay married because I was going to lose a lot if I divorced my ex,” she explained.
Clearly unable to read the room, the sister’s husband had inadvertently (or not) opened a fresh wound and what came next was a direct consequence of his actions.
She explained that she lost her cool and told him he was “a real piece of s--t.”
What made matters worse is that her parents as well as her sister’s children were present when she erupted on him.
Now her sister is mad at her for making the derogatory comment in front of her and her husband’s daughters.
She remained defiant, lashing out at her sister in anger.
“I was so mad I told her I didn’t care because he was a bastard.”
The woman asked Reddit if she was wrong for putting her brother-in-law in his place.
Readers generally believe that the brother-in-law’s actions are unethical since he is representing her estranged husband and should not be handing out any advice to her.
One person said, “Yeah, this makes the whole thing feel like bulls--t. No matter how you look at it her ex’s attorney is confronting her in her personal life and encouraging (threatening) her to drop the divorce.”
Someone else added, “He could lose his license by talking to her about it if she already has a lawyer. She should report him to his licensing board.”
Despite her brother-in-law's actions the woman is choosing not to go after his law license.
She responded to the suggestions in a truly empathetic way.
“A few people have messaged me to suggest I report him to the managing partner, so I’ll try that because I don’t want him to lose his license because of me,” she posted.
The best advice was upvoted over 38,000 times and came from a commenter who had a lot to say.
“NTA (not the a—hole). Do not socialize with your BIL or give him or your sister access to information about you right now. It could be used against you,” they wrote.
“I'm frankly shocked that your [brother-in-law] took on this case given the proximity of [the] relationship. Has he ever given you legal advice or represented you in any way?”
The responder ends by saying, “Your [brother-in-law] is an a-- and if he didn't want his daughters to know that he shouldn't have been an a--. Your sister should be ashamed.”
Everyone is in agreement that the sister’s husband should have stayed far away from the situation.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment & news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.