Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” but in lands far away from California, two men in Germany and Cambodia have proven otherwise. In 2007, a German man divorcing his wife took a chainsaw to his wooden house, splitting it in two and then transported his newly redesigned home to his brother’s property. The following year, it happened again. This time the setting was Cambodia, where a man similarly decided that the court system’s idea of property division just wasn’t for him. Instead, he sawed his home in half before moving it to his parents’ property.
Even though you’re probably (and hopefully) not thinking about splitting your house in two, less theatrical tactics can also lead to consequences in court that can deeply affect you now and in the future.
In a California divorce, much of the property acquired during the marriage is considered community property, and is divided equally. Separate property, which can include inherited property, is your own. This may seem simple, but figuring out what’s what can get complicated, and actions taken during the marriage may have changed the ownership of the property. Other important questions come up when valuing property and in dividing assets such as stocks and businesses.
Minella Law Group encourages you to contact our San Diego office to resolve these questions as soon as you have decided to separate, so we can help protect your financial interests when negotiating a property division agreement and advocating on your behalf in court. As for a lesson that can be learned from this report: two is not always better than one. Contact our skilled Minella Law Group attorneys at (619) 289-7948 for assistance with your asset division matter.
