Tracking Down an Inheritance
PROBLEM:
You think the debtor may have recently inherited money, but he never mentioned the inheritance to you. You think he may be hiding it.
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SOLUTIONS:
Depending on the state you live in and how the debtor handled the inheritance,…
Finding and Valuing Stock in a Private Company
PROBLEM:
As part of a divorce settlement, the debtor offers you shares he owns in a private company, but he refuses to turn over the company’s financial information. Because the company is private, the value of its shares is not public…
Hidden 401(k) Accounts: How to Find Them
PROBLEM:
You suspect that the debtor has been contributing money to a 401(k) retirement account for years, and he doesn’t intend to share the funds with you.
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SOLUTION:
Unlike with pensions, married people are generally not legally…
How We Find Hidden Fur: Stolen Stoles Discovered
PROBLEM:
You know that your debtor has a taste for the finer things in life, but, above all she adores furs. Occasionally, a new mink would suddenly appear on the first wintry day of the year. If you asked about it, she would shrug it off,…
Finding Secretly Owned Historic Property
PROBLEM:
The debtor has a passion for historic architecture, and you remember him once mentioning a beautiful old house that he was thinking about buying years ago. You suspect that he may have secretly purchased the house and has failed…
Tracking Down a Patent, Trademark or Copyright
PROBLEM:
Your debtor's come clean on stocks, bonds and a condominium he owns, but you suspect he has valuable intellectual property rights acquired during marriage. Half the value of those rights is yours, but first you have to find the property.
SOLUTIONS:
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Intellectual…
After DOMA: More Federal Ethics Laws Apply to Same-Sex Spouses
The Supreme Court struck down DOMA’s definition of marriage as unconstitutional today in a 5 to 4 decision written by Justice Kennedy. With all the talk of the expansion of benefits for same-sex couples, it has gone largely unnoticed that…
Asset Searches and Same-Sex Marriages: A Whole New World After DOMA
Today’s Supreme Court ruling on DOMA means that same-sex couples now have nearly all the rights and burdens of straight couples in the eyes of the law both when they get married and when they get divorced. One of those burdens is that it…
Finding Collections of Rare Things
PROBLEM:
The debtor is a big collector, whether of coins, stamps, toys, or comic books. You ask about the collection but get no response, or else you are told it was “lost” or sold for much less than you were always told it was worth. You…
When Debtors Make Themselves Look Poor by Raising Spending
PROBLEM:
To make himself appear cash-poor, the debtor, a small business owner, increases his business’s discretionary expenditures knowing that he can recoup the money after the divorce is final.
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SOLUTION:
This problem can take…
