Disclaimer: All facts gleaned from the filings stated hereafter are only as truthful as the petitioner. The tone of this article expresses a style of writing historically employed by America’s greatest writers and, as such, is for opinion purposes only. No intentional harm is due. Do not read if the topic of divorce (even your own) causes you emotional distress. Continue at your own risk.
The court documents do not explain what drew Melanie A. Hass and Adam Lee Hass together, only what pulled them apart—and that, it seems, was time. The marriage, registered on a September day in 2011 in Lake County, had already lost its shape by December of the following year. Since then, Melanie has carried on alone. She is now 38, incarcerated, and still attempting to sort through the remains of a life that no longer holds its center.
The Petition for Dissolution of Marriage was filed on May 14, 2025, by Melanie through her attorney, Nia Crosley of Ascend Justice. There are no promises left to unmake. No claim to spousal support. Each party, the petition asserts, is capable of standing on their own—financially and otherwise.
There are children: twins born in November 2012, and a son born to Melanie in 2009 before the marriage. The father of the eldest, the petition clarifies, is not Adam. Melanie asks the court to reserve judgment on parental responsibilities for now.
The physical divisions of the marriage are already nearly complete. Property is to remain with each in whose possession it currently lies, with a few exceptions—most notably a home in Mundelein and a Jeep, both acquired after the couple’s separation. Melanie also requests that her maiden name, Henning, be restored.
What remains is not a battle but a formal close. A name reclaimed. A life, once paused, in slow motion forward again.
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