By keeping separate finances, this California couple thought they had insulated the wife from the financial woes of her entrepreneur husband. They didn’t share bank accounts nor credit cards while she carefully kept her distance from his business dealings. Her name was not on anything tied to his business. But “separate” isn’t enough to overcome […]
Five Ways To Bankruptcy Proof Your Divorce
If you want to survive the bankruptcy of your ex spouse unscathed, consider the bankruptcy possibility during the divorce. A marital settlement, binding outside of bankruptcy, means little in Chapter 13. No matter how prejudicial or unfair, a Chapter 13 discharge will relieve a former spouse of obligations of all obligations to their ex except for support. […]
Right To Support When Your Ex Files Bankruptcy
Outrage is the usual reaction when a former spouse with child support or alimony files bankruptcy. It reinforces all those less-than-flattering thoughts you harbor about your ex. But,maybe, that’s not the right reaction for two reasons, one old, one new. One is old: support debts can’t be wiped out in bankruptcy. The second reason is new: failure […]
Family Lawyer’s Cheat Sheet to Bankruptcy
Here, in a nutshell, are bankruptcy basics for family lawyers. This isn’t everything you need to know to navigate a dissolution where one spouse files bankruptcy, or when marital debts suggest both spouses should file. It’s a start. You can get the basic introduction to concepts and terms operative in bankruptcy here. For a look […]
When Your STBX Files Bankruptcy: An Action Plan
Whether the news comes by phone or mail, the notice that your soon-to-be-ex spouse has filed bankruptcy can bring fear and confusion. You need some facts and a plan, now. So let’s look at how bankruptcy affects a non filing spouse and how to chart a course through a STBX bankruptcy case. Child support safe […]
Marital Separation Doesn’t Require Two Homes
Split the sheets in California, and your wages are no longer community property. That’s because property acquired during marriage but after a marital separation isn’t community property. That’s been California law for a long while. The sticky wicket has been drawing the line when the marriage has broken down and the couple has separated. “When” they separated determines […]
The Most Costly Community Property Blunder
What do you do when creditors from your spouse’s past threaten? Chances are your first reaction is to put the title to your biggest assets in just your name. Whew! Safe. Not. Just because the deed to the house now reads Jane Doe instead of John Doe and Jane Doe it’s easy to think the house is Jane’s separate […]
“Hold Harmless” Survives “To Have and To Hold”
Divorce usually requires the division of the debts of the marriage along with the assets. The legalese usually requires each party to indemnify and hold harmless the other from the debts assigned to that party. Most folks skim over that provision to worry about the division of assets or support issues or the termination […]
Divorce And The Ticking Debt Bomb
Debts of the marriage often outlive the marriage itself. And, those left-over debts are nothing but trouble. But too often, divorcing couples don’t mop up the joint debts they held during the marriage, only to have the situation blows up years later when one ex-spouse hits financial trouble. Here’s a true story that illustrates the danger. […]
