Revealing Hidden Assets In California Divorce

In order to help ensure a completely fair divorce settlement, it’s crucial that both parties account for and properly classify all assets and property. However, in divorces involving high assets in San Diego, California, it’s not uncommon for spouses to suspect each other of concealing things. Having a highly experienced and skilled attorney on your side can confirm that all assets and accounts are revealed during your divorce.

The divorce attorneys from Butler Law, PC, are well-versed in uncovering hidden assets. We have both the skills and resources to help people find hidden assets and properly inventory and divide them during the divorce process. With our help, you can feel more confident you’re getting a completely fair settlement, with all accounts and assets uncovered and made plain.

Where Or How Do People Hide Things?

There are a variety of tactics and methods people use when trying to cover up or hide their assets. A few of the more common include:

• Hidden accounts – People may create offshore bank accounts in countries with stricter bank security policies in order to conceal their true wealth. In other cases, people may even physically hide their cash to mislead their spouse during the divorce process.
• Underreporting income – Inflating business expenses, hiding cash earnings and undervaluing assets are all other methods of concealing assets in order to disguise their true earnings.
• Transferring assets to others – Giving gifts or “loaning” money, assets or valuable items to friends, family or business associates is another common way people hide their assets so they are not reported during the divorce discovery process.

These are some of the more typical ways people hide assets during divorce, but only a skilled divorce lawyer with proper resources can help ensure all assets are accounted for during discovery. This is the most effective way to help guarantee your divorce settlement is fair.

Real Estate Assets In Divorce

Real estate assets are crucial in divorce. It’s important to ensure all property you have accumulated goes through proper valuation. The real estate that you purchased together may have increased in value over the years of your marriage and the current market value may be much higher. Having an official appraisal or valuation carried out can be the first step in the process.

It is also important to consider your options to split up real estate and address property rights. For instance, when couples divorce, there are three basic options for the family home:

• Selling the home and dividing the proceeds
• One person buying out the other person’s share
• Continuing as joint property owners after the divorce

This can also apply to commercial real estate, a family business, a vacation property and other real property. Selling and dividing the earnings is often the most straightforward solution. There are cases where the other options make more sense – such as when a family business is each person’s only source of income. Every case is unique.

Moreover, you may have a separate property claim. California is a community property state, so marital property is owned equally by both people. It must be divided during property division. However, if you purchased real estate before your marriage, you may claim that it is separate property. Your spouse has no legal right to separate property. This would mean you retain the full value or can simply keep the real estate, even as your marriage ends.

Finally, you and your family law attorney may need to consider hidden real estate assets. Perhaps your spouse used family funds to purchase real estate and then transferred it into the name of their business, hoping you wouldn’t realize you also had a claim. Maybe they “sold” the real estate to a friend or family member for a very low price, planning simply to buy it back after the divorce.

If your spouse is being dishonest about real estate ownership or the value of that property itself, then you may need to work with an experienced family law attorney to take legal action.

How Can We Help?

Our divorce attorneys have years of experience navigating complicated divorce situations. We’ve spent a lot of time assisting people through the intricacies of this process and we understand how to find hidden assets when necessary. Our team knows what to look for when there’s suspicion of hidden assets and we have the resources to help make sure everything is made clear. We can trace accounts, gather the appropriate records and fully investigate where accounts or other assets may be hiding. A lawyer can request or subpoena records from your spouse’s bank and employer and request tax records and other financial documents.

We’ll work directly with you, making sure our strategies are tailored specifically to your individual situation. The personalized touch you get at Butler Law, PC, is crucial in helping secure a divorce settlement that’s fair, and works for you.

Find Out More

Figuring out a divorce is complicated. And when it comes to a lifetime of assets, property and other wealth, it’s essential to work with a skilled attorney who knows how to find things hidden and who will give you personal attention. Contact a divorce attorney from our firm to find out more. We’re ready to help you get what you need out of the divorce process. You may use our online contact form to seek more information, or you can call 619-514-3365 to speak with a dedicated divorce attorney.

Set up an initial consultation to learn how we can help, speak with your dedicated divorce lawyer and experience our personal service.