We Fight For Fair Asset Distribution During Divorce In Illinois
Last updated on August 5, 2024
One of the most contentious portions of most divorces is assessing and dividing the marital property. In some cases, one spouse may attempt to hide a portion of these assets from the other, denying them their fair share of the marital property. In such a case, you need an advocate with the skills and insight necessary to detect such deception and prove it in court.
At Taege Law Offices, we leverage our knowledge and experience to discover hidden assets in property division for our client’s divorce cases. Our Chicago attorneys can investigate your marital assets and partner with financial investigators to unearth the evidence we need to ensure that you receive your fair share of the marital assets. You can reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you.
Applying Every Tool At Our Disposal To Assist You
Finding hidden assets is not something that just anyone can do. It requires knowledge and skills that you only learn from practice and experience. If you suspect that your spouse has hidden away assets that you would be entitled to a share of, we can help.
Our lawyers will research your assets by looking through your bank records, tax returns and other financial documents to create a full picture of your marital assets. If your divorce is already being litigated, the discovery process may be used to request documents from your spouse.
Once all necessary information has been collected, we will analyze it to search for places where your spouse may have hidden assets. If necessary, we can also retain forensic accountants who are trained experts at discovering discrepancies in financial statements to find hidden or misplaced funds.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hidden Assets In Divorce
Our Chicago hidden assets lawyers take this issue very seriously. Here are some of the questions we hear most commonly about the importance of locating hidden divorce assets:
What are hidden assets? Why is finding hidden assets important in a divorce?
Hidden assets in a divorce are any that a spouse withholds from disclosure during divorce proceedings. The purpose of hiding assets is usually twofold: The spouse hopes to avoid splitting the assets with their spouse and wants to appear “poorer” on paper than they really are so that they are given a lower spousal or child support order.
Hidden assets often include stocks, secret investment accounts, cryptocurrency stashes, offshore accounts, real estate holdings in different states and intellectual property. Our Chicago hidden assets lawyers work hard to uncover deceptions like these to protect our clients’ future financial stability.
What can I do if my spouse is hiding assets?
You need to hire an experienced Chicago hidden assets lawyer. There are legal mechanisms that an attorney can use during the discovery process to force your spouse to submit their financial records for review. They also generally have access to investigators and forensic accounts to help locate what has been hidden.
What are the potential consequences for my spouse if they hide assets?
If the court finds that your spouse purposefully lied under oath on their Financial Affidavit or before the court, they may face perjury charges or criminal contempt of court. Perjury is a felony that is punishable by up to five years in prison, and criminal contempt of court is punishable by jail time and fine.
In addition, the court may decide to award you a disproportionate share of the marital assets as punishment. That could include everything your spouse attempted to hide.
Could hidden assets affect the amount of child or spousal support I receive?
Yes. Hidden assets can reduce a spouse’s net worth on paper, lowering the amount of support they have to pay. That makes uncovering hidden assets critical to your financial security.
Let Our Team Help You Get Your Fair Share
Divorce is difficult and emotional enough without the added worry that your spouse is attempting to hide assets from you and take part of your fair share away from you. Our attorneys can help you through this difficult time and fight for your fair share.
If you are ready to work with us, then call our Chicago office at 312-667-7706 or send us a message on our website.