According to FS 61.075(7), the cut-off date for determining marital assets and liabilities is the date of filing, unless there is a written agreement otherwise. So, if you are concerned that your spouse may acquire debt for which you will become liable, filing the petition will establish the date where that cannot happen. All assets […]
Tag: DOM Florida
Options To Challenge A Final Judgment: A Complex Area Of Law
Have you recently gone to trial in your case and received a final judgment? Do you not agree with the judgment? Do you want the judgment overturned? You have several options: 1) Appeal – Under the rules of appellate procedure, you have 30 days from the date the judgment was rendered (ie – the date […]
Does Title Matter?
When fashioning an equitable distribution plan, does it matter that assets are titled solely to one spouse or the other? The answer is: Yes and no. Think of the assets and liabilities of a marriage collectively as a pie. From the standpoint of determining what goes into the pie filling, legal title is irrelevant. Everything […]
P.E.A.C.E. In Divorce
Family law attorneys are often asked if there is an order in which the Court decides various issues in a divorce. The answer is, yes. The acronym P.E.A.C.E. sets forth the order in which the Court will determine the issues in your case. P.E.A.C.E. stands for: (P)arenting; (E)quitable Distribution; (A)limony; (C)hild Support; and(E)verything Else. Why […]
Corporations In Divorce
These days it is not unusual for a married couple to have one or more businesses that are incorporated as Corporations or Limited Liability Companies (LLC). When divorce comes up, a question should be asked “should the corporation be made a party?” If a spouse wants to have property that is owned by a corporation […]
Moral Fitness Of Parents
Florida Statute 61.13(3) sets forth 20 factors that the Court must use when determining a parenting plan and parental responsibility. One factor is F.S. 61.13(3)(f): the “moral fitness” of the parents. Different families will have different views of what is proper moral behavior and what is not. So, how does the Court determine when the […]
Modifiability Of Asset And Liability Distribution
Simply put, when a Final Judgment is entered which distributes the marital assets and liabilities to the now-former spouses, the trial court loses the ability (jurisdiction) to modify the distribution at some later date. There are a few exceptions to that general rule, but the exceptions would only apply in very narrow situations. Absent those […]
Enforcement of Property Distribution
If you have been awarded a particular distribution of assets and/or liabilities, and the opposition is not doing what they have been ordered to do, there are many legal remedies available to compel compliance. The courts always maintain jurisdiction to enforce their own orders, and the law also provides remedies that can be enforced in […]
Attorney’s Fees Related To Unnecessary or Bad Faith Litigation
Generally, the purpose of an attorney’s fee award in dissolution of marriage cases is to ensure that both parties have similar access to counsel and can thus fight the action on nearly equal footing. Thus, in a case where one party is in a far superior financial position, that party may be ordered to pay […]
Can I Discharge In Bankruptcy Debts To My Former Spouse?
The answer depends upon the nature of the debt. Certainly, alimony cannot be discharged in bankruptcy, nor can child support. But when a payment to a spouse is not termed alimony or child support, the question of dischargeability is muddied. Ordinary debts to a spouse are usually dischargeable, so if, for example you have agreed […]