One of the most important goals you have in your divorce is a fair financial settlement. You have the right to your fair share of marital property, including savings, retirement funds, real estate and more. One critical step in this process is a full disclosure involving both parties providing a full accounting of all of their financial information. If your spouse refuses to do this, he or she may be attempting to hide assets.
Hidden assets can skew your divorce order and leave you without your appropriate share of marital property. You may also end up with an unfair amount of marital debt. To fight for what you deserve, you have to know everything that is eligible for division between the two parties. If you suspect hidden assets, there are things you can do to fight back.
What’s next?
At some point in the divorce process, you and your spouse will have to disclose your financial information. The first step in making sure that there are not undisclosed assets you need to find is to carefully and thoroughly review the disclosure. This may not be easy if you did not manage the finances during your marriage, but you can work with legal and financial professionals to identify any potential problems.
If there are issues with the voluntary disclosure, you can then demand an involuntary disclosure. This is a formal request for the missing information you need, and there is a legal requirement to respond to this request in a timely manner. These interrogatories can ask specific questions about assets, or they may simply be about the spouse’s general finances.
Your financial future at stake
If necessary, you may have the opportunity to depose your spouse in court. This will compel the spouse to answer questions under oath. You can also do some of the work yourself, perhaps hiring an investigator to look at your spouse’s financial life or do the investigating by looking for things that do not match up or make sense.
Your financial future is at stake in your divorce. You do not have to navigate this complex situation on your own, especially if you suspect your spouse is acting deceptively. Pursue your rightful share of marital property and secure long-term stability with the help of an experienced Colorado family law attorney.