Are you divorced, but have recently discovered your ex-spouses hidden assets? Did your spouse hide assets from you during the divorce proceedings so that you would be left with pennies compared to his or her millions?

Have comfort, the law is on your side. If you have discovered assets of your ex-spouses that he or she hid during your divorce from each other, you can submit your findings to the court and re-open the discussion of the division of marital assets. The following divorce cases illustrate this point:

In Wiand v. Wiand (1987), the court found in favor of Mrs. Wiand, stating that Mr. Wiand had frustrated her efforts to obtain discovery of his assets and his net worth.  Mr. Wiand had repeatedly violated the court’s orders for support, discovery, and injunctive relief, and had utilized his brother to hide marital assets, in order to keep them hidden from Mrs. Wiand. This was an important finding because the court held the third-party brother responsible for hiding assets on behalf of his brother.

Then, two years after the trial and the division of the marital estate, Mrs. Wiand found new assets that Mr. Wiand had hidden during their divorce. She filed a new complaint against her former husband, seeking damages based on: fraud, misrepresentation, interference with advantageous relationships, conversion, and violation of court orders.  Five years later, the appellate court ruled that such assets (discovered after the divorce) may become the subject of future (post-judgment) discovery and proceedings. The court awarded Mrs. Wiand her portion of the martial assets that had been hidden years prior, during the divorce.

In Sands v. Sands (1993), Mr. Sands deliberately hid assets from his wife during the divorce trial period. When his assets were found after the trial, the court reassessed the property division in a new trial.  The court awarded Mrs. Sands all of the previously-hidden assets – her portion and Mr. Sands’ portion. 

If one spouse does not reveal an asset during divorce proceedings, it can be subject to future discovery and division as part of the marital property.  If newly discovered evidence shows one spouse undervalued the marital estate, or hid assets, the wronged spouse has a basis to start a new lawsuit. 

What kind of expert should be hired to help you uncover hidden assets and evaluation their worth?

A.M. Golden Accountancy Corporation specializes in providing divorce and matrimonial litigation support, including discovering hidden assets, valuing assets, and the distribution of assets. A.M. Golden focuses on forensic accounting techniques to uncover hidden assets, over stated expenses, valuation of marital assets such as closely held business and stock options, tax consequences of divorce and distribution of assets. Mr. Al Golden is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), a Diplomat of the American Board of Forensic Accounting (DABFA), Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, and the American College of Forensic Examiners.

A.M. Golden Accountancy Corporation offers a free initial consultation - To speak with Mr. Golden immediately, please call his direct line by dialing (760) 444-1913.  If you’d prefer, you may also send an email: al@amgolden.com