Divorce cases and cooking the books

Don’t come a cropper from cooking the books

Divorce proceedings, especially those relating to financial settlements can be very turbulent. Even in the most modest of cases there can be a lot at stake for divorcing couples.  Suspicion is often rife as it may be a factor in the breakdown of the marriage, and this then inevitably continues into the process for sorting out the financial settlement.

Significant wealth can be very complex, especially where business interests are involved. It can be tempting to try to pull the wool over the court’s eyes, particularly where one spouse has been at the helm financially during the marriage and the other spouse has let them get on with it without making too many enquiries.

However, trying to hide money is not just something that is confined to cases where there is a lot of money. It is also tempting to hide it where there is not really sufficient for both parties. It is frightening to be plunged into a world where you will have to be financially independent, possibly for the first time in a long time. In those circumstances it is understandable but not acceptable that a spouse might try to keep assets hidden.

One way that a spouse might try to hide assets is by doctoring documents so that the full extent of wealth is not obvious. A recent case was a stern reminder that doctoring financial documents will not be tolerated.  A wife’s claim for capital from her husband was allowed to remain open for 10 years in a case where the Husband had doctored documents to try to demonstrate that he was poor.  The court wanted the wife to have a chance to make further claims against her husband if assets magically appeared. This was an unusual outcome because the court would normally try to achieve a clean financial break. It is also worth bearing in mind that it is a criminal offence to commit perjury.

Divorce Cases

If you would like to know where you stand in relation to any issues relating to matrimonial matters including children, mediation, divorce, financial settlement then please do contact our Family Team at Kerseys Solicitors in Ipswich Suffolk 01473 213311 or Kerseys Solicitors in Colchester Essex 01206 584584 alternatively visit our web site and click “Call Me Back” and a member of the team will be happy to call you.

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