Significant life changes like a divorce can bring out a different side of someone. You may see new sides of your soon-to-be ex-spouse, or they could just double down on their negative traits.
If you are headed toward divorce, you should be informed so that you can make the right moves. Below are four things your spouse may do during your divorce.
Record conversations
If your divorce involves a battle, your spouse may record conversations to use against you, be it over the phone in person. Fortunately, the law is on your side. California’s eavesdropping law requires all parties involved in a conversation to consent to recording it. Thus, your spouse recording your discussions without your consent may be unlawful. You can sue them for this and the court may decline to use their recordings as evidence.
Nonetheless, you should be careful about what you tell your spouse. They can use your words against you, even without a recording.
Hide assets
Some people hide assets during a divorce to prevent them from being divided. Common tricks include:
- Giving people expensive gifts
- Giving loans to family or friends
- Withdrawing cash and hiding it in safety deposit boxes or offshore accounts
- “Investing” in cryptocurrency that is hard to locate
If you spot anything unusual in your account statements or activity, follow it closely. You can also bring in an accounting professional who is trained to find hidden assets.
Lie about you
Unfortunately, your spouse can lie about you or even get your children to lie about you. Cases of false domestic violence allegations have been reported in child custody battles.
Your spouse may not do the things discussed above, but it’s vital to be informed about them to be prepared. You should consider legal guidance to protect yourself should you experience them.
