When a Kansas married couple divorces, they typically have navigate negotiate a number of issues in order to achieve a satisfactory settlement. For property division proceedings to be fair, both spouses must be totally transparent regarding their assets. Full disclosure is required for debts, as well, and if one spouse is trying to pull one over on the other, things can get quite messy in court.
Hidden asset problems are often at the root of property division complications. Kansas is an equitable property state, which means the judge overseeing the case will decide how to fairly divide assets between spouses. A spouse who wants to walk away with more than his or her ex may try to hide certain assets.
Hiding assets in divorce is illegal. If a spouse suspects such a problem, he or she needs to know where to look unravel the scheme. Many spouses hide assets by overpaying their federal taxes. The idea is that the money will come back to them as a refund at some point, after their divorce is finalized.
In addition to tax returns, it’s a good idea to look for more of a paper trail. A good place to start is with bank statements, which might show money has been withdrawn from a jointly owned account or that a private account has been opened and deposits are being made at the same time money is missing from a joint account. Some spouses hide money nearby, such as under a mattress, in a closet or between the pages of a book. If a Kansas spouse is dealing with a hidden asset or other property division problem, a first logical step to take is to bring the matter to the court’s attention; an experienced family law attorney can do so on a spouse’s behalf.