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Guard against financial threats during a divorce

| Jan 10, 2014 | Property Division

As most Tennessee residents are likely aware, divorce is rarely if ever an idyllic situation. Fighting and shouting matches may ensue, and threats spouses make against each other only further confirm that a couple’s differences are irreconcilable and a divorce is, in fact, necessary. Sometimes, these threats are emotional abuse; other times, they stray into financial territory, in which case there are steps spouses can take to shield themselves from any financially damaging actions the threatening spouse may attempt to take.

It is not uncommon for spouses to threaten one another with financially damaging actions — they will refuse alimony, will pour all of their money into a legal fight to deny the partner anything, and so on. While many of these threats are empty, some are not. Some spouses may actually attempt to hide assets or take damaging legal action that threatens a partner’s financial security and stability.

There are preventative actions a divorcee can take when a spouse makes financial threats. Taking notes — that is, keeping a record of the exact nature of the threats and when and where they occurred — can help divorcees devise a strong divorce strategy with the help of legal professionals. These notes can be used to help determine the exact nature of the spouse’s threats — and then, with an understanding of the legal rights and laws involved, can be used to take action against the threatening spouse.

During the property division aspect of divorce, there are many laws to consider. Chances are, the threatening spouse is making idle threats that do not conform to what is legally possible. By understanding the various legal nuances — like, for example, the fact that Tennessee is an equitable division state, and a judge decides how to fairly divide assets — a divorcee has a chance to construct a divorce legal strategy that minimizes the damage a threatening spouse can actually do.

Source: Forbes, “How To Cope With Your Husband’s Financial Threats During Divorce,” Jeff Landers, Jan. 8, 2014

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