It's not just financial threats. She could have had him throw in jail as an "abuser" by lying to the police. People would believe her over him by default. Luckily he had such a big pile of evidence she couldn't play that card, but that's the card many female abusers use.
How do you even take on 15 years of that bullshit without just burying her alive someplace?
Presumably the financial loss from the divorce.
That's the real unspoken truth - abusive women are propped up by the financial threats they can make in divorce court.
It's not just financial threats. She could have had him throw in jail as an "abuser" by lying to the police. People would believe her over him by default. Luckily he had such a big pile of evidence she couldn't play that card, but that's the card many female abusers use.