divorced spouse rent responsibility

[Chris Gilbert]

To make a very long strong short, we have a long term tenant who recently went through a divorce.  The divorce was recently finalized.  The husband never actually moved into the house (not the oringal plan), but is on the lease, and lives in another state.  During the divorce, the wife got behind on the rent with the promise that it would be paid in full with proceeds from the divorce.  The proceeds never materialized, so we are left with a balance.  The husband of course wants his name removed from the lease.  We responded by stating that we would do so once the balance was paid in full.  We haven't heard from the husband since then, but it has only been a short time.  The wife is absolutely in no position to pay the balance owed.

Obviously, we've learned some lessons already from this experience, but what are our options at this point?  The amount owed is significant enough that we want to pursue it if possible.